Why Jakub Mensik made Barbora Krejcikova scream at the television | ATP tour | Tennis

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Why Mensik made Krejcikova yell at the television

Mensik and Krejcikova try to help the Czech Republic win the United Cup title
January 5, 2026

When Jakub Mensik was 16, he reached the boys’ singles final of the 2022 Australian Open. The Czech pushed his match against Bruno Kuzuhara deep into a third set, but ultimately suffered a full-body cramp in the final game of the match and lost a heartbreaker. Watching at the time was Barbora Krejcikova, now a two-time singles champion and Mensik’s United Cup teammate.

“I definitely followed him since he got cramp in Australia a few years ago,” Krejcikova told ATPtour.com with a laugh. “I have been following him ever since and I am very happy that he is making so much progress, that he is doing great and that he is very talented.”

Nearly four years later, Krejcikova and Mensik will attempt to claim the United Cup trophy for their country for the first time. The Czechs made a perfect start on Monday and beat Norway 3-0.

After Krejcikova won her opening victory, she watched a television feed of Mensik’s match. The twenty-year-old battled past Casper Ruud in two tight sets.

“We were sitting there in our little office. We were yelling at the TV and really getting him excited,” Krejcikova said. “I’m very happy he won.”

Krejcikova is a big tennis fan who likes to watch a lot of matches. She was happy to get an up-close look at Mensik, the 2025 Miami ATP Masters 1000 champion.

“What I absolutely like about his tennis is the serve,” Krejcikova said. “Overall today I was able to watch him a little bit more because I mean the Tours are separated and we don’t really have the opportunity to spend that much time together.

“Today was great. I think he played incredibly and he served really well during the important points. He passed so many times. It was unbelievable.”

According to Infosys ATP Stats, Mensik hit 16 aces against Ruud, helping him take a 2-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead against the Norwegian.

“I think about the way he hits, how compact his serve is,” Krejcikova said. “I feel like he throws the ball the same way every time, so that’s something unique. It’s something that’s very difficult for me, so actually I’d like to have his serve.”