Written by Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Photograph credit score: Darrian Traynor/Getty
Corridor of Famer boxer and devoted tennis participant Sugar Ray Leonard he famously described his adopted sport as “non-violent boxing.”
Boxing is a blood sport.
Kyrgios: The Journey is Over
Proficient kids are turning tennis right into a younger blood sport on the Australian Open.
Nineteen years Jakub Mensik received 62 winners and upset the sixth seed Casper Ruud 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the third spherical of the Australian Open for the primary time.
Two of the largest upsets on this AO are for youngsters.
Mensik’s dismissal of former US Open finalist Ruud comes a day after the 18-year-old Brazilian. João Fonseca stormed previous ninth-seeded Andrey Rublev 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-6(5) in his first main. Fonseca fired 51 winners in that sport.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_ELESl9Cg4
Already one of many Tour’s prime hitters, Mensik improved his document in opposition to prime 10 opponents to 5-4 and reached the third spherical of a Grand Slam for the third time.
A nineteen-year-old American Scholar Tien He’s bidding to grow to be the third teen to succeed in the third division this week when he performs fifth Daniel Medvedev on the Margaret Court docket Enviornment on Thursday.
The outcomes present that this AO could also be of recent blood, Mensik mentioned.
“All of the younger gamers who play right here, even those that usually are not right here, are attempting their greatest to succeed in the identical degree,” Mensik instructed reporters in Melbourne. “For instance, like Jannik and Carlos, they had been younger just a few years in the past, two years in the past. Clearly, you understand, it isn’t our likelihood, however we will strategy the identical and stroll of their footsteps and attempt to attain the identical degree, compete with them.
“Not less than I’ve it like that. I can positively attempt to attain the identical degree, so I can preserve bettering. It is good that there’s at all times new blood.
“We see that tennis is shifting ahead. We will see totally different or new phrases in competitions. For followers, tennis, the whole lot, it is nice. That is all. New blood is coming.”
Why now?
World No. 48 Mensik mentioned the truth that all the children performed within the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals final December gave them match preparation and competitors depth earlier than Melbourne.
Fonseca beat Mensik to win the Blue Group in Jeddah earlier than beating Tien within the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals title match. Alex Michelsen is an American he additionally performed within the Subsequent Gen ATP Finals and adopted up with a knock down Eleventh-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in his AO opener.
“The time of the Subsequent Gen Finals, it was earlier than Christmas. Everybody was within the pre-season,” mentioned Mensik. “We had been already enjoying, we had just a few video games earlier than the season began. I imply, that helps us quite a bit, I believe.
“I imply, as a result of all of us play nice video games. Even within the preparatory competitions, we had been doing very well. That is an important factor initially of the season to have various matches and to enter the Grand Slam you’ve performed just a few matches earlier than.”
6’4” Mensik will attempt to proceed his sport in opposition to Spain Alejandro Davidovich Fokina with a visit to the primary spherical of his fourth Grand Slam.
