Tennis courts are no strangers to drama. From fiery outbursts to jaw-dropping calls, fans have seen it all. But the latest twist? A mid-match doping test at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah involving young Czech star Jakub Mensik. And let’s just say, even seasoned tennis pros are surprised by the move. The latest to join the fray? None other than the veteran of the sport, Boris Becker.

In an unexpected turn of events, the young Czech sensation was asked to undergo an anti-doping test during a toilet break during his match against Arthur Fils. Mensik was also seen registering his complaint with the umpire for the match, Nacho Forcadell, who also agreed with the youngster’s frustration and was heard saying, “You’re right.” The tennis world has been scratching its head over the unexpected scenarios they witnessed on Thursday and the latest to share his disbelief is Becker. 

Taking to his X, the 57-year-old retweeted a post by Tennis Letter that stated the entire incident and how it unfolded. Captioning the post, Becker wrote, “What ?!?,” which signified his surprise and disbelief over the entire news. Interestingly, Becker is not the only person who has made a remark over the entire controversy. 

Responding to the episode that unfolded in Jeddah, American ATP star Christopher Eubanks dropped his perspective. “As long as you are not in the course of a match, yes, they can, that’s what its whereabouts is about. But to come up to a player in a toilet break, after in the midst of a match and say ‘hey you have a doping test,’ I think its just came down to somebody didn’t understand the rules,” he said when quizzed if it is common for a player to witness such a situation. Interestingly, the entire controversy that took place in Jeddah is quite contrary to how Mensik wanted his tournament to unfold, which he expressed ahead of his campaign.

When Jakub Mensik expressed his goals for the Next Gen ATP Finals

Jakub Mensik depicted immense potential throughout the year. Starting the season as No. 167, he soon made his major debut at the Australian Open and captured much attention after a remarkable win against Denis Shapovalov in the first round. And as he geared up for the ATP Finals in Jeddah, he expressed his confidence as he opened up about his goals for the tournament. 

“It was one of my biggest goals to reach this event before the season, I’m glad to be here. So far it’s amazing, the facilities and everything that they did for us.” he said in an interaction with the ATP Tour ahead of the tournament. Continuing further, he also made his goals clear and exuded his desire to lift the title. “You can feel really that you’re one of the best younger players in the world. I never have expectations. Obviously just to enjoy this beautiful tournament [is my goal]. Of course I would be happy to win a couple of matches and of course I’m going here to win it,” he added.

Now, with such incidents taking place, it would be interesting to see how well Mensik manages to keep his calm intact and progress in the tournament.