'Novak Djokovic made me a generous offer then I beat him and couldn't sleep for two days'

It's been a difficult season for , who is now on a for the second time this year. His best run came at the Miami Open, where he reached the final before . Since then, he's failed to win a match at any tournament.

Mensik has now addressed his triumph over Djokovic, his idol. The Czech star revealed that the 24-time Grand Slam champion has followed his career since his junior days, giving him a generous offer years before they met in the Miami final. When he pulled off the upset against his childhood hero, Mensik couldn't sleep for days.

Aged just 19, Mensik has long been a bright prospect. He peaked at No. 2 in the junior rankings and finished runner-up at the 2022 Australian Open boys event, which is when he caught Djokovic's attention.

Mensik had openly named Djokovic his idol, and the world No. 5 responded with a classy invitation.

Recalling their first meeting, Mensik told : "We trained together after playing in the 2022 Australian Open junior final. I remember him coming to see me during that match.

"It was in the press conference afterward that I first said Novak was my idol, so he responded by inviting me to his training centre in Belgrade, where I had the opportunity to share a couple of practices with him.

"Later, just before Wimbledon, we played again in Montenegro, and that's where our friendship began to develop."

Mensik and Djokovic didn't meet on the professional tour until last autumn, when the Serb narrowly beat the teenager in a tight quarter-final showdown at the Shanghai Masters.

The Czech player was ranked at No. 65 at the time and had already made waves earlier in the year, reaching his first tour-level final in Doha as a wildcard and beating a top-10 player en route.

Just a few months later, Mensik finally beat his long-time hero in the biggest match of his career. The teenager lifted his first title at the Masters 1000 in Miami a month ago, downing Djokovic in two tiebreak sets.

He beat four top-25 players en route to the title, also taking out Jack Draper, Tomas Machac, Arthur Fils and Taylor Fritz. And, after beating Djokovic to be crowned the champion, Mensik struggled to sleep.

"After winning, I couldn't sleep for two days," he added. "Miami was an incredible but very complicated experience. I remember all the craziness leading up to the final, with the rain delay and everything else.

"There I was, playing the biggest final of my career against Novak, the guy who's taught me everything. There couldn't be a better feeling.

"I tried to enjoy it, play my best tennis. I truly believed I was ready to beat him. Luckily, I was able to muster that confidence to win that final."

Mensik is now making waves at the Madrid Open, where he is through to the quarter-final. The world No. 23 will face Francisco Cerundolo for a spot in the final four.