(Reuters) -Meeting Lionel Messi before the Miami Open semi-finals was just the boost Jakub Mensik needed, as the 19-year-old upset world number four Taylor Fritz on Friday to reach his first Masters 1000 final, where he will face Novak Djokovic.
Czech Republic’s Mensik shook hands with Messi and thanked the Argentine soccer great by writing “Thx Leo” on a camera lens after securing the biggest win of his career.
“I was shaking his hand… kind of chilling with him a little bit. I didn’t wash my hand before I stepped on the court, and probably that was the key for today,” Mensik joked after beating Fritz 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(4).
Saturday’s final against Djokovic, who is bidding for a record 100th career title, pits Mensik against one of his heroes.
“My tennis inspiration is Novak Djokovic. Because of him, I started to play tennis. He’s my biggest idol,” Mensik told ATP Tour in an interview last year.
Djokovic beat Mensik in straight sets at the Shanghai Masters in October, the only time they have met on court.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
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