Even for a 24-time Grand Slam champion, some moments stand out. Novak Djokovic was visibly thrilled on Friday, calling it “an amazing honor and pleasure” to play, “probably for the first time,” in front of soccer icon Lionel Messi. The Argentinian superstar and 2022 World Cup winner was in Miami to witness Djokovic’s semifinal clash against Grigor Dimitrov. But Djokovic wasn’t the only one starstruck; Messi also took in the second semifinal of the ATP Masters 1000 event, curiously watching the impressive 19-year-old Czech talent, Jakub Mensik, who was understandably ecstatic to have the GOAT in the stands. Surprisingly, Mensik thinks Messi influenced his victory over Fritz. How?

On Friday, Jakub Mensik achieved a significant milestone in Florida, overcoming World No. 4 Taylor Fritz in a hard-fought battle that went to a deciding tiebreak, 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(4). This victory propelled the young Czech into his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 final, where he is now set to face Novak Djokovic in the championship match on Sunday. Well, it was all down to a magic touch from Messi.

Following his earlier victory over Grigor Dimitrov, Novak Djokovic received a special visit from Lionel Messi, who went into the locker rooms at Hard Rock Stadium to meet the tennis star. During this encounter, Messi was also introduced to the young Czech talent, Jakub Mensik. They shook hands while posing for a picture.

During an on-court interview, the 19-year-old was asked whether meeting the Inter Miami star helped him in any way. Mensik replied, “Meeting this legend, not even a human, it’s not happening every day,” said Mensik. “I just chilled with him a bit and shook his hand. And after shaking that hand, I didn’t wash it before the match, you know, to bring me some luck, so probably that was the key for me today,” he said with a smile.

The young Czech expressed his appreciation for the chance to see a different side of Messi, one beyond his renowned performances on the soccer field. “It’s not just that he has won those Champions Leagues and World Cups and everything (it was) seeing he’s also a human. It’s really awesome that the dream came true,” he said.

Following his victory, the young Czech star made his appreciation known by writing “Thank you Leo” directly on the camera lens. Well, the fanboy wasn’t done!

On his X account, Mensik shared the unforgettable picture he took with Messi. While paying his homage to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, the World No.54 wrote, “I found a goat in the player’s locker room…Pleasure to meet you legend. 🫶🇦🇷”

Fun fact: Adding another layer to the narrative is the fact that Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami, was present at the Miami Open with his family. The Argentinian soccer icon was able to attend the tennis after missing the international break with Argentina due to a minor injury.

Echoing Mensik’s sentiment, Novak Djokovic also took to social media to share his encounter with Lionel Messi. The tennis star posted pictures of himself with Messi in the locker room, one showing them holding up a signed Lacoste tennis polo shirt and another with Djokovic holding a No. 10 Messi Inter Miami jersey. He captioned the posts with, “An honor to meet the greatness @leomessi and his whole family. Gracias Leo. Asta pronto”.

While Mensik’s accomplished one dream of meeting the soccer GOAT, it’s time to fulfill another.

Jakub Mensik can’t wait to face his idol Novak Djokovic in Miami Open final

In case anyone missed it, Novak Djokovic and Jakub Mensik have already met before in a competitive event. Last October, they faced each other in the Shanghai Masters quarterfinal. Following his big win over Grigor Dimitrov in R16, Mensik went on to play against the former World No.1. It wasn’t easy for him, being a hardcore fan of.

Ahead of the match, during a press conference, dated October 10, the teenager called it a ‘dream come true’ moment. “I mean, more than excited, like exciting is really, you know, small word. But, yeah, obviously a dream come true, because of him I started to play tennis or, you know, when I was young and, yeah, starting to play tennis, he was already on the top. You know, so I was like, Wow, he’s really good, you know, he made a lot of Grand Slams,” he said.

“I’m 19 and he’s still playing, you know, I have this chance to play against him, and of course when I started to play there was one wish to play against him, you know. So, I’m really happy that it came true and that I can play with him, and, yeah, we’ll see which level I am on Friday,” he added. Although he lost (7-6, 1-6, 4-6), the result hardly mattered.

Now, he’s got another chance to share the court with the GOAT. However, the stakes are high as they are going to compete in a title clash. Sharing his reaction on playing Djokovic, again, he said, “It feels incredible. For me, it was a dream to play against him in Shanghai. For now, it’s a bit different. I am a better player now and I’m going to enjoy and it’s going to be really exciting. Let’s see what’s going to happen Sunday,” reported ATP’s website on March 28.

If Mensik succeeds in overcoming Novak Djokovic on Sunday, he will break into the top 25. After the list gets updated on Monday, he can climb to the 24th spot. On the other hand, the Serbian can accomplish a rare milestone. After becoming the oldest ATP Masters 1000 semifinalist, he has the golden chance to win his 100th ATP trophy. With that, he will also have the most number of Miami Open titles. Currently, he’s tied at 6-6 with former American icon Andre Agassi. What’s your prediction about this awaited battle? Let us know in the comments below.