Rising Czech star thought Novak Djokovic offer for help was initially 'a hoax': "But it was really him"

Czech tennis player Jakub Mensik has opened up about how World No.1 Novak Djokovic helped him during the early stages of his young ATP career.

The 18-year old, alongside his coach Tomas Josefus, revealed the Serbian invited the youngster to train with him. Furthermore, Djokovic did not hesitate in sharing his knowledge and contacts with the rising star. Mensik has an impressive 10-5 record this year, and is currently ranked 74th after beginning the year as world No.167.

"We were taking stock when Jakub received a video on his phone (in February 2022) from a Serbian number that he didn’t know," said Josefus in an interview with L'Equipe. "He did not hesitate to share his knowledge and contacts. We had closed doors in front of us, Novak opened them."

"I first thought it was a hoax, but it was really him," shared Mensik. "Novak is my childhood idol, you can imagine my joy. Weight, lunch, recovery… Everything he did, I did. I understood a lot of things there. I observed him, I tried to analyze his functioning, how he warms up, stretches, recovers.
"He recommended them (contacts) to us and gave us their number. Many things we put in place were thanks to him. It was before Wimbledon, so I was able to observe his his specific preparation for a Grand Slam, all the little details of everyday life."