Extremely popular journalist Chen Lingyan
Mensik (official social platform map of ATP Tour)
In the last week, the most shocking thing in international tennis was the strong appearance of a group of post-05 players.
In Doha, Jacob Mensik, a Czech boy born in 2005, dismounted Murray, a famous veteran, and then abruptly eliminated Lublev, who was in his prime. Then he went one step further and ruthlessly defeated gael monfils, a veteran 19 years older than him, and reached the final directly, becoming the youngest player to reach the final of the ATP Tour since Umag Alcaraz in 2021. His strong performance stunned a crowd of fans.
In Rio, Joao Fonseca, a Brazilian brother born in 2006, swept Top50 player Firth with a wild card and became the first player born in 2006 to win on the Tour. In the second round, he defeated Garin, becoming the youngest player to reach the top 8 of the ATP Tour after Zvilev in 2014, and also the youngest Brazilian to advance to the top 8 of the ATP Tour.
Only last month, everyone was still excited that the 23-year-old Singer won the Australian Open, which meant the opening of a new generation of tennis. But in a blink of an eye, teenagers born in 2005 and 2006 made their debut, making Singer born in 2001 even look younger. 18-year-old Mensik, 17-year-old Fonseca, and 19-year-old Shang Juncheng of China … These young people under the age of 20 are growing up like crazy.
What is more noteworthy is that this year’s "children" are not attracted by their strong bodies, strong physical strength and fearless aggressiveness like the younger generation in the past. Their performance on the court shows that compared with their predecessors, this generation of young people have a better understanding of tennis and a more relaxed control of the court, just like getting an enhanced version of the operation manual.
Fonseca, for example, not only has a fast ball speed, but also has a precise landing point. At the same time, he is good at handling the ball in front of the net and switching between long and short balls. His ability is completely different from that of a newcomer.
Check out his story. In 2014, at the age of 7, he watched the game for the first time in Rio, watching Nadal’s game; In 2024, 17-year-old Fonseca became famous in this competition by waving a racket.
Fonseca (official social platform map of ATP Tour)
Besides, Mensik, who started playing tennis at the age of 4, has always dreamed of playing against his idol Djokovic. Now he is 18 years old. In the face of his predecessor Murray, his fast movement and wide-angle hitting make Murray only sigh. In the face of Lublev, he was also calm in the tiebreaker, and he didn’t see the novice panic at all. In the early morning of 24th against gael monfils, he played steadily, accurately and resolutely, and he was quite courageous in handling the key ball in the deciding set.
This little brother, who likes eating pizza and listening to eminem, already has the psychological quality of a mature player.
What’s more, these "children" have extremely high emotional intelligence. When defeating gael monfils, Mensik shook hands with each other and said, "You were one of my greatest inspirations when I was a child."
Some critics say that only Djokovic can treat these "children". Last year, a group of players in their early twenties challenged Djokovic, and Djokovic ruthlessly crushed the younger generation with amazing performance. After winning the championship, Djokovic once laughed and said that young people wanted to challenge him, but fortunately, he still won.
After a year, this group of young people under the age of 20 was born, and they could challenge a legend like Djokovic. I wonder if these young people who watched Djokovic win the championship on TV as a baby will make Uncle Djokovic feel pressure.
(Source: Jimu News)
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