Jakub Mensik has stated that he regrets some of his shot selection decisions after he lost to Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros semi-finals.
It was a good tournament from Mensik as he was playing in his first Grand Slam semi-final but came up short against the German.
Despite a late comeback from Mensik in the third set it seemed like he was fatigued and physically hurt.
In his post-match press conference, Mensik stated the injury isn’t that bad after a tournament that included multiple five set matches, “First two sets, I mean, it was really tough for me, like I said, to find the rhythm, to find myself on the court. Physically and mentally, as well,” Mensik explained.
“Like I’m saying, Sascha is a guy who is not giving you any rhythm so long between the rallies, and kind of I struggled to find the great rhythm and to find my zone, which I couldn’t do it those two sets, which obviously leads to a little bit drop of energy. And kind of, you know, physically I would say, of course, it’s a long tournament. I recovered well those two days, but still, during the match, I felt like my left neck was getting a little bit stiffer.
“I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s an injury or something that will get me out for a long time. But it was just at that moment that, you know, I felt a stiff neck, which didn’t allow me to do some movements. So I would say of course it’s a little discomfort during the match. Yeah, I mean, it’s nothing serious, and it’s gonna be okay.”
It was a tough defeat for Mensik today who was clearly not at his strongest physically and mentally.
Although Mensik feels sad he believes there is plenty of encouragement going into future tournaments but does regret his shot selection at times, “So, yeah, it was for me very difficult to get into the rhythm, to get into my zone. I had my game plan, which was, you know, in some of the ways it was super tough to choose the right shot selection,” Mensik admitted afterwards.
“So, yes, I mean, if it would be, for example, tomorrow, after tomorrow, and I would play the same maybe with the better shot selection, I could be the one who could win it. But like I say, all credit to Sascha today. Like I’m saying, he kept his momentum, he kept his rhythm, and didn’t allow me to take it from him.
“I mean, right now of course I’m sad because of the loss, but hopefully in couple of hours, couple of days, I will look at that match or not just the match but the tournament overall in a positive way.
“But, you know, right now when I think about what happened those two weeks, those last two weeks, of course this one match that I lost, even with a solid performance, it’s, you know, still, there is many more positives about that. So I’m, first of all, super happy that I could reach the semifinals and that I could beat a lot of top players. And actually, you know, there were a lot of tough moments that, you know, it was basically already done for me. But I stand up and I kept fighting, and I find a way how to win.
“Also, when the momentum was on my side and I was in a good shape and I was really, you know, up in my game, I showed my best what is in me. So, I mean, a lot of stories these two weeks, and when I’m talking about it and I’m keeping this rhythm two weeks, it’s super, super tough. And especially, you know, I’m in a Grand Slam about playing with the top players. Especially for me, as well, because it’s my first time, and a lot of things happen for the first time. So I’m happy that I manage it quite well, and, yeah, I will take it as a great, great tournament.”
Mensik will now prepare for the grass court season as he aims for another deep run at a big event at Wimbledon.
Last year Mensik lost in the third round of Wimbledon to Flavio Cobolli.
