So many times throughout this fortnight at Roland Garros, Jakub Mensik appeared down and out.
The 20-year-old Czech was pushed to the limit in his second-round match against Mariano Navone, requiring seven match points and more than four-and-a-half hours in brutal heat before eventually triumphing 13-11 in a fifth-set tiebreak.
His body cramped severely as he celebrated, with Mensik requiring lengthy medical attention and wheelchair assistance exiting the court – scenes akin to what he experienced in the AO 2022 junior final.
Few thought he would have anything in reserve for his third-round match against No.8 seed Alex de Minaur, who won their first set in just 19 minutes. Yet Mensik rebounded again, tapping into an incredibly high level to dominate the next three sets.
He would then survive the experienced Andrey Rublev in five sets to reach his first major quarterfinal, where he faced the surging Joao Fonseca.
Mensik was in all sorts of trouble again in the third set, before finally seeing off his fellow rising star.
“The last, I mean, 20, 30 minutes of the match, it was just really insane the level from both of us,” said Mensik, who again needed seven match points after earlier saving a set point.
“Even after those match points when I didn't manage to take them, when I was 6-5 up, I'm happy that… I stayed mentally focused and calm and managed to level up my game in the tiebreak and be the one who managed to take it.”
This is by far Mensik’s best Grand Slam result, one that propels him from 27th to 16th in the ATP live rankings.
And it continues a theme of overcoming adversity in 2026, which began at the Australian Open.
At Melbourne Park, after progressing to the second week of a major for the first time, Mensik was due to face idol Novak Djokovic – whom he’d beaten in the 2025 Miami Open final for his first ATP Masters crown – yet had to withdraw ahead of the match due to an abdominal injury.
The following month, he rose to a career-high ranking of No.12, but dropped sharply after exiting early in Miami, unable to defend the hefty batch of points he’d earned 12 months earlier.
And Mensik didn’t play again until Madrid, with a toe infection and a viral illness sidelining him in the early stages of the claycourt season.
Things finally turned a positive corner as he was preparing to travel to Paris.
“Basically because of the toe and because of the virus, I was more focusing on the things that they were outside of the court… so actually when you are focusing on that, it's actually a lot of ups and downs,” said Mensik, who nevertheless made the last 16 in Madrid.
“Before Roland Garros I was finally healthy. I already managed all the things that I needed to do. I was basically super happy that I could come to Roland Garros, finally good prepared without any injury, playing pain-free.
“As the tournament is going, I'm playing better and better.”
Physical issues – this time his left leg – surfaced again in the third set against Fonseca, yet Mensik assured reporters it was simply muscle tightness.
He will need to be as fresh and healthy as possible when he next confronts Alexander Zverev. The second seed is now the red-hot favourite for the title, appearing in his fifth Roland Garros semifinal in the past six years.
For as long as Mensik has battled on court throughout this French fortnight, Zverev has cruised, surrendering just one set in five wins so far.
It was Zverev who stopped Mensik in Madrid, but the young Czech is taking heart from the fact he pushed the 2024 Roland Garros finalist hard.
“Even with the match with Sascha in Madrid, of course, it was close one. It was best-of-three,” Mensik said of the 6-4 6-7(4) 6-3 defeat.
“Right now it's some different situation. Of course, semifinals. I would say bigger match, best-of-five.
“I'm excited for the challenge.”