'You’re one of the biggest inspirations,' Gael Monfils receives Jakub Mensik’s heartfelt admiration as the 18-year-old reaches finals of Qatar Open in a historic victory

Even in the on-court interview after his match, Mensik continued with his praise for Gael Monfils and revealed what he had told him while shaking his hands. The Czech international said that when he was young, he used to watch Monfils a lot on TV. He also hoped that they would play sometime in the near future. 

When he was in the final here 19 years ago I wasn’t born yet. I told him when I was young I watched him a lot on tv. One of the biggest showman on court. Great guy. Hopefully in the future we will meet once again. Sometimes the rallies were so fun. He’s such a good guy. Best of luck for him for the next tournament  Jakub Mensik said during his interview

Jakub Mensik is now a favorite to win the 2024 Qatar Open

Mensik has had a sensational run in the 2024 Qatar Open so far. He has defeated Davidovich Fokina, Andy Murray , Andrey Rublev, and Gael Monfils, all of whom are tough opponents. This shows that the youngster is in the form of his life and this will most likely be his breakthrough tournament. 

He will now face Karen Khachanov in the final. The two players have not faced each other so far in their respective careers. Unlike Mensik, Khachanov has had a comparatively easier route to the final. However, he is much higher rated than the Czech youngster and thus it will be an interesting match. However, looking at the form that Mensik is currently in, he is definitely the favorite “underdog” to win the trophy. It must be noted that this is only Jakub Mensik’s third tour-level event which makes his achievement even more praiseworthy.