The ATP prodigy’s family did not play tennis. While his father, Michal, was busy with his professional endeavors and ice hockey, Jakub Menšík’s mother, Katerina, also diligently kept up her work in marketing. So how did the Czech tennis player follow his passion for the racket game as he later made his debut on the men’s tour?
‘He was the best man’- Jakub Menšík’s father on how his childhood coach’s passing was a devastating experience
It all started with his childhood coach, Ivo Muller, who was the ‘best man’ as he could successfully instill an enthusiasm for tennis in youngsters, according to Jakub’s father. In a conversation with ATPTour.com, Michal was all praise for Muller as he said, “He was the best man because he could grow the right love of tennis to the small children. And he also taught the parents to be good tennis parents.”
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However, in a tragic turn of events, Mensik’s childhood coach passed away after a brief battle with cancer. Jakub, who was only 7 years old back then, was devastated, and his father recently reminisced about that situation. He said, “[Jakub] was very small. He was seven. But I think this was his first experience with such a situation.”
Michal also revealed that it was Jakub’s first experience with such a tragic situation. He stated, “He was sad and it was the first chance we had to speak with him about death, these kind of situations. I think he was sad of course, but life goes on.”
By that point, Menšík’s childhood coach had already instilled a passion for the racket game in him, as he has now become one of the young guns on the ATP circuit. After his US Open breakthrough, Menšík has once again made headlines during the ongoing Qatar Open, where he is one win away from the title.
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