The tennis calendar appears to be really starting to take its toll on both ATP and WTA players.
This is something that many players have been vocal about, with Iga Swiatek particularly outspoken against the current tennis schedule.
Swiatek is not the only person who feels this way, but Carlos Alcaraz has received some criticism for his stance.
The tennis calendar has already seen Jack Draper, Elina Svitolina and Paula Badosa end their seasons early, and now an ATP player has suggested that he is just trying to hang on.
Photo by WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty ImagesJakub Mensik admits he is struggling physically in the latter stages of the 2025 season
That player is Jakub Mensik, who beat Novak Djokovic to win the Miami Open earlier this year.
The 20-year-old has showcased his talent since then, but Mensik was forced to retire against Alex de Minaur at the China Open last week, seemingly due to a knee injury.
While Mensik has revealed that the knee is the main issue, he told the ATPTour.com that his whole body is in some form of discomfort.
“Yeah well, so I’ve been in a pretty busy schedule the last couple days, couple of weeks,” Mensik said ahead of the Shanghai Masters. “I mean, I posted some information on my social media, so I’ve been struggling the past few days with the whole of my body basically, I mean especially the knee.
“So yeah, I mean I’m trying to recover, to do the best to be able to compete 100% on the weekend and yeah it’s going away, so let’s see when I consult with the doctors and the physios, but it shouldn’t be nothing very serious.”
Mensik has played in the Davis Cup, the Laver Cup and the China Open all since the US Open, and he has now admitted that he is just trying to find some form of energy to be able to compete at this stage in the season.
“Like I said, the schedule is super busy throughout the whole year,” added Mensik. “Actually after the US swing, everything just came it can happen, we played Davis Cup so I stayed more in the US, we spoke about it, and then the Laver Cup thing and everything.
“So yeah, I have been playing a lot the last couple of weeks, so I think my body just needs to stop a little bit to recover, but like I was saying this is the last push of the season so I hope I can find some energy inside of me to compete.”
Could Jakub Mensik still qualify for the ATP Finals?
Despite his physical issues, Mensik still has an outside opportunity to qualify for the year-end ATP Finals this year.
However, Mensik will need to have a good run at the Shanghai Masters, where he is the 17th seed and reached the quarterfinals on his debut last year.
Mensik is currently 17th in the race to the ATP Finals, but could climb up to as high as ninth if he wins his second Masters 1000 title in Shanghai.
After receiving a bye to the second round, Mensik will play against Dutch player Jesper De Jong.
The Shanghai Masters are not the only tournament Mensik is currently entered into, as he is also scheduled to play at the Swiss Indoors event in Basel, and will likely also feature at the Paris Masters before the end of the year.