Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva, at left to right, are escorted out of the stadium for a rain delay during the women’s doubles match against Cristina Bucsa, and Miyu Kato at Miami Open tennis at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Sunday March 30, 2025. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ [email protected]
Heavy rain poured down on Hard Rock Stadium Sunday afternoon and there was lightning in the area, delaying the start of the Miami Open men’s final between 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and 19-year-old Czech newcomer Jakub Mensik.
Djokovic was on the cusp of history, going for a record seventh title in Miami and his 100th title overall, trailing only Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103). Mensik was going for his first tour title.
The age gap between 37-year-old Djokovic and Mensik was the widest at any tour final since 41-year-old Ken Rosewall beat 22-year-old Raul Ramirez at the 1976 Jackson WCT final.
Despite the soggy, gloomy conditions, more than 10,000 fans waited through the nearly six-hour rain delay because Djokovic remains one of the biggest draws in tennis wherever he goes. The match had been scheduled for 3 p.m. and it finally began at 8:45 p.m.
Djokovic had not played at the Miami Open for six years and was missed. The crowd welcomed him with a loud ovation.
Exciting young players such as Joao Fonseca of Brazil and Alex Eala of the Philippines electrified crowds over the past 10 days, but Djokovic is Djokovic.
He is so revered that soccer icon Lionel Messi took his family to watch Djokovic’s semifinal against Grigor Dimitrov on Friday and exchanged shirts with him in the locker room after the match. On Saturday night, after scoring the winning goal for Inter Miami against the Philadelphia Union, Messi celebrated by pretending to do a forehand swing, a tribute to Djokovic.
With Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams retired and Andy Murray now on Djokovic’s coaching team, the Serbian great is the last remaining legend on tour and the sport’s elder statesman.
Djokovic and Mensik had played once before, at the Shanghai Open in October 2024, and Djokovic rallied to win 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-4.
Mensik, who was ranked No. 54 coming into the Miami Open, vowed that this meeting would be different.
“When I played against Novak in Shanghai, I was kind of nervous,” Mensik said after his semifinal win against Taylor Fritz. “I’m not saying that I will be not be nervous on Sunday, but last time I was not able to holding nerves very well in the match. In the last few months I grew up a little mentally.
He added that the conditions at the Miami Open suited him “very well” and he would not be overwhelmed by the occasion.
“In Shanghai I was more to enjoy and to take the experiences; right now, I’m here to win, that’s for sure,” Mensik said. “For a tennis player, there is no harder task [than facing Djokovic]. I was growing up watching him, so I’m excited what Sunday will bring. Hopefully I will do better than in Shanghai. I’m just going to go and enjoy every moment there. It’s the first final for me. Of course, to play against this player, it’s going to be incredible.”
Novak Djokovic (4), of Serbia reacts after defeating Grigor Dimitrov (14), of Bulgaria 6-2, 6-3, during the men’s single semi-finals at the Miami 2025 Open tennis tournament, at the Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, March 28, 2025. Pedro Portal Pedro Portal
Djokovic entered this tournament aiming to get back on track after three consecutive losses, his worst stretch since 2018. He was coming off a shocking 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 loss to 85th-ranked Botic Van De Zandschulp in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.
Djokovic has a history of great success in South Florida, but had not won the Miami Open since 2016, and had not played in it since 2019.
“I really wanted to find the best game that I can play from myself in this tournament, which I did, and putting myself in a great position to win the title,” Djokovic said.
He was determined to regain peak form from the first ball he struck at Hard Rock Stadium last week.
“I wanted to make a statement to myself and to others, as well, that I’m still able to play on a high level,” he said. “I lost two tournaments in my first rounds, so I really was eager to get the win in the first match in Miami Open.”
Entering Sunday’s final, Djokovic had not dropped a single set during the entire tournament. He performed well in all facets of his game, but his serve has been particularly impressive. His first percentage was 83 percent in his quarterfinal win against Sebastian Korda and 87 percent in the semifinal against Grigor Dmitrov.
“I did not expect myself to top the serving performance of last match, where I had 83 percent, and I had 87 percent [Friday]. I missed I think five or six serves in the whole match. So that’s really amazing, amazing standard, really high standard.
“I was joking with Tim Henman in the post-match interview that now I know how it feels to be [John] Isner or [Reilly] Opelka, just make most of your first serves. Maybe not as many aces as these guys, but it just releases that unnecessary pressure from all the other shots in your game.”
Djokovic added that he feels his serve has been underrated throughout his career.
“Obviously, I’m a baseline player. Most of my career return and backhand are probably the shots that have been talked about the most. Maybe the serve has been a bit underrated.
“I always liked my serve, particularly when it comes to accuracy and precision. That’s what I was looking for. I was never really looking to ramp up the miles per hour on the serve. I mean, it’s great if you can serve 130-miles-an-hour, but I’d rather serve 120 miles an hour and hit the line and hit the perfect spot in the box because that’s what either wins you a point or gives you an easy first shot in the rally.”
Dimitrov has lost 13 of his 14 matches against Djokovic. Dimitrov was asked how 37-year-old Djokovic is different from the player he was earlier in his career.
“He has that bit more confidence,” Dimitrov said. “It’s almost like a stain that you cannot wipe off. It’s, honestly, a beautiful thing to see. There are only a very few athletes on earth who have that, and he’s clearly one of those athletes.”
Andreeva-Shnaider Win Women’s Doubles
The women’s doubles final between Russians Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider and Cristina Bucsa (Spain) and Miyu Kato (Japan) was suspended by the rain at 12:50 p.m. on Sunday with the Russian duo ahead 3-0. The match resumed six hours later, and Andreeva-Shnaider won the title 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 10-2. They earned $457,150 as the winning team.
Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva celebrate winning the Miami Open tennis women’s doubles match after defeating Cristina Bucsa, and Miyu Kato at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Sunday, March 30, 2025. PHOTO BY AL DIAZ [email protected]
Andreeva, who is ranked No. 6 in singles, and Shnaider, ranked No. 13, paired up at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where they took the silver medal after falling to the Italian duo of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini. They decided to keep the partnership going on tour this season.
“Thank you for staying the long hours and for your support,” Shnaider told the crowd during the trophy ceremony.
Kato and Bucsa were Miami Open surprise finalists having beaten the third seeds Paolini/Errani and the top seeds Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend.
This story was originally published March 30, 2025 at 5:51 PM.
