When Jakub Mensik was 16, he reached the 2022 Australian Open boys’ singles final. The Czech pushed his match against Bruno Kuzuhara deep into a third set, but ultimately suffered full-body cramp in the final game of the match, losing a heartbreaker. Watching at the time was Barbora Krejcikova, now a two-time major singles champion and Mensik's United Cup teammate.
“I was definitely following him since he was cramping in Australia a couple of years ago,” Krejcikova told ATPTour.com, cracking a laugh. “I was following him since then, and I'm really happy that he's making such progress and that he's doing great, and he's very talented.”
Nearly four years later, Krejcikova and Mensik are trying to claim the United Cup trophy for their country for the first time. The Czechs made a perfect start Monday, easing past Norway 3-0.
After Krejcikova earned her opening victory, she was watching a television feed of Mensik’s match. The 20-year-old battled past Casper Ruud in two tight sets.
“We were sitting in our little office in there. We were shouting at the TV and really pumping him up,” Krejcikova said. “I'm really happy that he won.”
Krejcikova is a big tennis fan who enjoys watching many matches. She was happy to get a close look at Mensik, the 2025 Miami ATP Masters 1000 champion.
“What I definitely love about his tennis is the serve,” Krejcikova said. “Overall today I was able to watch him a little bit more, because I mean, the Tours are separate, and we don't really have the opportunities to spend as much time together.
“Today was amazing. I think he was playing unbelievable, and he was serving really well during the important points. He was passing so many times. It was unbelievable.”
Mensik hit 16 aces against Ruud according to Infosys ATP Stats, helping him take a 2-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead against the Norwegian.
“I think just the way how he hits it, how compact his serve is,” Krejcikova said. “I feel like he's tossing the ball every single time the same way, so that's something unique. It's something that is very tough for me, so actually, I would love to have his serve.”
