It has been some rise for Mensik, who broke into the top 100 in February 2024 by reaching the Qatar Open final.
In Miami he beat three top-10 players in Djokovic, Britain’s Jack Draper and American Taylor Fritz to lift the biggest title of his career, and handled the pressure of the occasion well.
After a five-and-a-half hour rain delay before the final, settling into a rhythm was not easy, but Mensik adjusted quicker than Djokovic.
He broke Djokovic at the first opportunity and his first serve popped as he rushed out to a 4-1 lead.
Djokovic, by contrast, had a rough start. He fell twice, had to apply eye drops after being bothered by swelling under his right eye and resorted to using sawdust to help him grip his racquet in the humidity.
However, his serve improved as the set progressed and his backhand slice in particular trouble Mensik, who eventually handed the break back.
A tie-break felt inevitable and Djokovic paid for a poor start to it, although he saved two set points before Mensik smashed his way to the opener.
The match was following a similar pattern to their previous meeting in Shanghai last year, when Mensik took the first set on a breaker before fading in the next two.
However, this time he kept up the intensity. Mensik did not face a break point in the second set and the heat and humidity began to take a toll on Djokovic.
Breathing heavily and wiping his face on a towel between every point, Djokovic could only watch as Mensik sent three excellent serves past him to force a tie-break, before the Serb whacked his thigh with his racquet after dropping the opening point in it.
If the point was short, then it was Djokovic who came out on top. But Mensik dug in to the long rallies, sending Djokovic darting around at the back of court and ultimately setting up three match points.
The first one went by as Djokovic sent a superb return right onto the baseline, but Mensik ensured a fitting end with a serve out wide to clinch the second.
He will now rise to a career-high of 24th in the world rankings.
For Djokovic, the wait for a first ATP title since 2023 goes on, but there were signs that his serve in particular has improved under coach Andy Murray.
