Cracks more obvious in Djokovic’s game as he strives to remain at summit | Tumaini Carayol

Loss to teenager Jakub Mensik in Miami final shows difficulty of maintaining such high standards at the age of 37

During a quiet period in the relentless calendar three years ago, the 16-year-old Jakub Mensik received an unexpected proposal. The Czech, who had just reached the boys' singles final at the Australian Open, was invited by Novak Djokovic, his idol, to train together at the Serb's academy in Belgrade. The pair quickly established a rapport, with Djokovic offering advice and counsel. For Mensik, this was a pivotal moment.

On Sunday, at the Miami Open, the pair stood across the net fromeach other again, this time asrivals, and he closed out a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) victory to win his first ATPtitle in one of the top tournaments.