"That was best-of-three. Right now it's a different situation" - Jakub Mensik wanting revenge against Zverev after Madrid defeat as clay swing form does U-turn

Jakub Mensik has broken new ground at the French Open. The 20-year-old defeated Joao Fonseca 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(3) to set up a semi-final showdown against Alexander Zverev. While it was a tense ending to the tie, Mensik proved to be the better player throughout as his 2026 clay swing goes from bad to great.

He knew it was going to be a tough match on the court but also with events off it with Fonseca bound to get endless support from the Brazilian fans following him everywhere he goes. "Obviously, it was a very tough match, and one that was expected to be high quality by João, by the audience, and by everyone watching. So, yeah, I'm super happy with the performance overall," he said in his press conference after reaching the semi-final of Roland Garros.

The last part of it was hugely crazy with a grand total of six missed match points by the Czech as Fonseca gave himself some premature hope with a tiebreak. It was not to be for the 19-year-old as Mensik breathed in a huge sigh of relief.

"Like you said, the last 20 or 30 minutes of the match were just really insane," he admitted. "The level from João was incredible and there were a lot of key moments at important times. Even after those match points that I didn't manage to convert when I was leading 6–5, I'm happy that I stayed mentally focused and calm. I managed to raise my level again in the tie-break and be the one who took it."

He had to stay cool and collected before getting the job done and dusted. "Yeah, I don't know. Like I said, at that moment I was just in the zone. I don't even think I was focusing on the score. I was more focused on my game, my performance, and myself. Even when the crowd erupted, I couldn't really hear anything. I was that much in the zone and so focused that I was only concentrating on the next point.

"The second serve may have been out, maybe it was in, I don't know. There was the smash that I mishit. But there were also so many great shots from my side. It just happened that those moments came on match point. But I'm happy that, even after those long games and when the momentum started coming over to his side, I was still able to raise my level in the tie-break."

It has been a bit of a tumultuous clay swing for Mensik. He was forced to pull out of the Monte-Carlo Masters and Munich Open before just three wins combined in the Madrid Open, Rome Open and Hamburg Open left a sour taste in his mouth. This makes his run to the semi-finals even more surprising.

"Before the tournament, I was saying in interviews that the clay season didn't go the way I wanted—not so much because of the results, but because of everything that happened," he said. "I was very unlucky at the start of the clay season. When I was preparing for Monte Carlo, I got an infection in my toe. Then I got a virus, which kept me out for another two weeks."

"Before Madrid, I only practised for three or four days. I came there without any matches. Even though I reached the third round and won two matches, I still wasn't feeling good. Because of the toe and because of the virus, I was focusing more on things outside the court—what I needed to do just to be able to play. When you're focusing on that, there are a lot of ups and downs. Before Roland Garros, I was finally healthy. I had managed all the things I needed to manage and I was super happy that I could come here fully prepared, without injury, and playing pain-free."

In Madrid, he bowed out to a certain Zverev in a three-set battle. Despite going a break up in the third, the German won five of the remaining six games to seal an impressive and hard fought win. He will again be the favourite to seal glory, but Mensik is relishing the prospect of playing him once more.

"As the tournament has gone on, I've been playing better and better. As for the match with Sascha in Madrid, of course it was a close one. But that was best-of-three. Right now it's a different situation. A semi-final is a much bigger match and it's best-of-five. I'm excited for the challenge."

He may want to go to 24-time world champion Novak Djokovic for advice before the big matchup against the number two seed. He was invited to play with Djokovic before his breakout on the ATP Tour. The pair even clashed in a Masters 1000 final last year, with Mensik coming out on top in the Miami Open.

"Of course, the relationship that we had and still have with Novak is very special, and I'm super thankful for it," Mensik stated. "At the time, I wasn't even starting on the ATP Tour yet. I was still a junior. He invited me because he saw some potential in me, and it was an amazing experience. At that point I wasn't even playing Grand Slams yet. It was more about getting to know the tour and understanding how things work. As I gained experience at Grand Slams over the years, that probably became the key. I was able to take those experiences and use them to manage Grand Slam tournaments the way I am doing now."

It may be a surprise to many that Mensik is still in the tournament. The 20-year-old was left stranded on the floor of the court in his second round win over Mariano Navone after suffering badly from cramps in the heat with the match lasting four hours and 41 minutes. He recovered and has since excelled. Wins over Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev followed before the most recent victory against Fonseca moved him to the brink of something special.

While there was some more physical concern, he played it off. "Yeah, I mean, in the first two sets I was controlling the game pretty well. I was controlling things on serve and on return. I was very calm and focused, and the momentum was on my side. Unfortunately, at the end of the second set I started to feel some discomfort in my left leg, which was irritating me on my serve.

"Of course, I was worried about what it might be. Fortunately, it was only a tight muscle. But because of that, I lost my focus a little bit, which is why the beginning of the third set wasn't how I wanted it to be. As the match went on and the third set became more intense, the pain gradually started to fade. Eventually I stopped feeling it altogether, which I'm obviously very happy about. It's nothing serious. After that, and throughout the rest of the third set, I was able to lock back in and play my game again."