After Joao Fonseca, another top-25 star withdrew from the upcoming Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah. World no. 19 Jakub Mensik will not compete in Jeddah for the second time, skipping the event due to physical issues.
The young German, Justin Engel, will replace the Czech in the draw. Thus, Engel joins Learnen Tien, Alexander Blockx, Dino Prizmic, Martin Landaluce, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, Nishesh Basavareddy and Rafael Jodar in the draw.
Without Fonseca and Mensik, this year's Next Gen ATP Finals is the weakest since the start of this event in2017. Next year, the tournament with elite eight U21 players will leave Jeddah and settle in some other location.
Jakub enjoyed a great run in 2025, passing nearly 30 rivals on the ATP rankings list and embracing his first year-end top-20 honor. The Czech started the season with two quarter-finals before losing ground a bit.
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Mensik headed to Miami with a significant knee inflammation. He nearly withdrew before his first match, going to the referee's office but luckily finding no one there.
The ATP physio treated his knee, and the young gun felt good enough to start the tournament. Jakub wrote one of the finest stories of the season, besting six rivals (one withdrawal) and lifting a Masters 1000 crown at 19!
He prevailed over Taylor Fritz and Novak Djokovic, ousting the legend in two tie breaks to win his first ATP title! Mensik could not maintain that pace in the remaining events of the season.
He scored three consecutive victories only at the Madrid Masters. However, the Czech did enough to finish the season in the top-20 at 20. After enjoying his vacation, Jakub decided to skip the Next Gen ATP Finals and focus on the off-season training sessions.
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He hopes to embrace another strong run in 2026 and repeat his Miami Open performance at more tournaments.
