Jakub Menšík became the latest player to fall victim to the sweltering Paris heat during his French Open match on Wednesday. Menšík battled severe cramps during his second-round clash, with the physical toll eventually leaving him unable to move after securing a gritty victory. Menšík later criticized the chair umpire’s handling of the situation after being hit with crucial penalties during the tense battle.
Inside Jakub Menšík’s Grueling French Open Win and Post-Match Collapse
No. 26 seed Menšík faced Mariano Navone in the second round of the French Open. After building a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 lead in the contest, Menšík needed to win just one more set to close out the match when cramps derailed his performance in the fourth set. The match headed to a decider after Navone capitalized on his opponent’s struggles.
Although Menšík pushed the contest into a fifth-set tiebreak, he was visibly struggling and needed several moments to compose himself between points. However, this led to time violation warnings from the umpire, and he even lost his first serve after being handed a penalty. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old displayed his resilience by claiming a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(11) victory after the grueling 4-hour, 41-minute battle.
The celebrations were short-lived, however, as Menšík immediately collapsed on the court with debilitating cramps. He lay on the ground for several minutes before finally receiving medical treatment, with John McEnroe also calling attention to the delay during his commentary.
Although the Czech initially declined a wheelchair and walked off the court, he ultimately needed to sit in one to make it back to the player’s area.
Jakub Menšík Slams ‘Insane’ French Open Conditions and Calls Out the Chair Umpire
During his post-match press conference, Menšík described the conditions as “insane,” stressing how difficult it was to compete in the extreme heat with barely any time to cool down between points.
“It’s insane to play in this weather and especially in front of the sun. To be there for more than four and a half hours, that’s just insane, and even with the breaks you don’t have that much time, the ballboy cannot bring you a towel during the changeover. You have just one minute, which obviously before, when you sit, it’s already just 30 seconds. So there is not that much time to cool yourself down,” he said.
The 20-year-old also called attention to the “super strict” rules enforced at the clay-court Major compared to regular ATP Tour events.
“Yeah, of course. I spoke about the rules. Obviously on the ATP tournament it’s a little bit different. You have a little bit different time,” he said. “You can have a little bit of some excuses. But here it’s super strict, which I totally respect that. But obviously in this heat and in these conditions, it’s insane. But alright, the rules are rules.”
Addressing the time violation that cost him his first serve, Menšík said he accepted the rules but mentioned he had no respect for the umpire’s behavior, though it was unclear whether he was referring to the delay in receiving medical treatment or the penalty itself.
“Of course during some time, yes normally when a spectator will watch, he will be like, okay, you know, giving mercy, 5 more seconds, 10 more seconds, which obviously I didn’t have. And then I lost my first serve because of that. Like I’m saying, I respect that. I was in that moment. But yeah, the referee today, what happened after the match, I will keep it for myself. But the behavior of that, I would say, I don’t respect that,” he said.
Jakub Menšík is set to face No. 8 seed Alex de Minaur in the third round. While Menšík will have to recover from his demanding 5-set battle, De Minaur will have the advantage of being well-rested after receiving a walkover from Alexander Blockx in the second round.
