Perhaps the most important factor in the final between Mensik and Djokovic will be the service game. Djokovic's numbers are excellent, although his serve is not considered his greatest weapon. He lands his first serve 79% of the time, and in the semi-final against Grigor Dimitrov, he missed only six. Moreover, he wins almost 81% of his points off his first serve.
The first serve will be extremely important for Mensik, especially. He may not have as good a first serve hitting rate as Djokovic, but he managed over 85% of points after the first serve. Djokovic, however, makes up for this deficit after the second serve. Mensik has a service quality of 9.35 in Miami (the tour average is 7.9).
Mensik has hit at least 13 aces in all five matches and has nailed over 20 aces three times. He is also more successful in closing breakpoints, but he has offered many more up (15) than his next opponent (7). In tie-breaks, both finalists are at 100 per cent in Miami so far (Mensik 5-0 and Djokovic 3-0).
It should also be noted that Djokovic is considered by many to be the best returner of all time. His serve may not be as strong as Mensik's, but in their only previous clash, it was exactly the opposite.
Video Preview of the Miami Open final
So far, Mensik and Djokovic have only met once - in the quarter-finals of the Masters in Shanghai last year.
It was the biggest match of Mensik's career then, but he was not intimidated by his star opponent and took the opening set after a tie-break. The next two sets, however, were a good and valuable lesson for the Czech youngster.
He did not win a single point on return and lost his own serve three times. Not even his 17 aces helped him. The problem was mainly his second serve, after which Mensik won only 34% of the points (Djokovic won 57%). There was also a big difference in the number of breakpoints won - Mensik had one chance and Djokovic nine.
Mensik knows Djokovic's game very well. They sometimes train together, and after the final at the 2022 Australian Open Junior, Djokovic invited him to Serbia and gave him some very valuable advice.
It's no secret that the Belgrade native is Mensik's role model. "Thanks to him, I started playing tennis. He is my biggest idol. If he wasn't, I wouldn't be here," he has said in various interviews.
Perhaps it is the training sessions with the most successful player of all time that play a partial role in Mensik's strength against representatives of the top 10 rankings. After at least 10 matches played against such players, only Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Djokovic hold positive records.
In Mensik's case, his success rate is 7-5. In the current season, he has beaten Casper Ruud at the Australian Open and Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper in Miami. His only loss was to Alex de Minaur in Rotterdam.
What's at stake?
A final at a tournament this big is always a huge motivation for both players. But in this particular clash, there is more at stake than usual.
Djokovic is on the verge of his 100th ATP Tour title. Only Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors have reached that milestone before.
Moreover, with six triumphs at the Miami Open, the Serb is the most successful player in the tournament along with Andre Agassi, and a seventh title would break away from him. On top of that, he would be attacking for a 41st Masters trophy, which would exend his own record. Mensik, on the other hand, will be fighting for his first title.
"Djokovic? There is no tougher challenge. I watched him when I was growing up. I don't know what it's like to play him in a final yet. I'll find out after the match," said Mensik, who could end a 20-year wait for a Czech champion in Miami on Sunday.
