Bizarre Scenes in Jeddah! Jakub Mensik asked to take doping test mid-match at Next Gen Finals

Tennis star Jakub Mensik has found himself at the centre of a bizarre controversy during his game against Arthur Fils at the NextGen ATP Finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The young tennis sensation, in hungry need of a win to keep his tournament's hopes alive, was seen extremely frustrated and angered after being approached for the anti-doping test at a small break.

After trailing by one set in the game, Mensik requested a small break to regroup. However, as he arrived back on the tennis court, the star player was seen expressing confusion and anger to chair umpire Nacho Forcadell about being confronted by the anti-doping people during his break. This event further delayed the game.

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Arthur won the game by 4-2, 4-3, and 4-1 and left Mensik on the brink of elimination in the game

Notably, the 19-year-old tennis star's frustration was visible as he flailed his arms and threw his towel in the air. However, in his efforts to regain focus, the interruption appeared to affect his momentum. However, Arthur won the game by 4-2, 4-3, and 4-1 and left Mensik on the brink of elimination in the game.

TC Live discusses Jakub Mensik being asked to take a doping test today during his match. #TCLive | #NextGenATPFinalspic.twitter.com/j9PnuGKQZM

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) December 19, 2024

Meanwhile, this incident has raised a few questions and eyebrows about the timing and procedures of anti-doping tests during matches. Critics have highlighted that such interruptions could unfairly disrupt a player's rhythm and focus in the game, and this is what happened as Mensik suffered a crushing defeat against Fils.

American ATP star Christopher Eubanks has 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 it just came down to somebody didn’t understand the rules. I think it clearly means Mensik must have had a doping test after the match; that’s specifically how it happens," he said.

"Post-match, you have to do your doping test. That’s probably a bit of a miscommunication when he came into the locker room and the doping person didn’t understand the match was not over, so they asked him to do a doping test,” Eubanks added.