The nomadic life … with Jakub Messik | ATP Tour

Nomadic life

Nomad life … with Jakub Mensik

Czech likes to hurry when he travels

March 28, 2025

Jakub Messik will participate in his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal this Friday at the Miami Open presented by Itau, where the American Taylor Fritz will be measured.

Atptour.com talks to the 19 -year -old Czech to remember his craziest travel story, his favorite cities to visit, how he has a plane traveling with his 1.93 m. And much more …

Do you like to get to the airport with time before the flight or hurry?
I play it. The nearest airport in my house in Prostejov (Czech Republic) is in Vienna, so I have two or two and a half hours by car. I have to be a little earlier, especially if I travel with my coach or my parents … They always want to spend time and we are four hours before.

But when I travel only with someone who is more like me, I play it. I play it for sleeping ten more minutes.

Have you ever lost a flight?
Yes, but never being late to the airport or making a mistake. It happened to me because I lost a connection because there was a very long tail in immigration.

Do you have any crazy travel history?
Well yes. When I was 12 years old, in Russia. I was 12 years old and I turned to Moscow with my coach. They were magazine our visa. My coach and everyone passed. I had the visa, I had everything, but it wasn’t in the system.

So there was me, a 12 -year -old boy, caught while they told me I had to wait. There was no one, only five guys around me with guns. With a couple of people who had the same problem.

After two or three hours, I called my parents and I was 12 years old, so I was afraid. Then we solved it. We lost the flight to Kazan. So we take another. For me it was an experience because I was 12 years old, I was in Russia. All people as security guards and police, with weapons. I felt like a movie, as if arrested.

What are you always carrying with you when you travel?
I always carry my phone, of course, and headphones.

Have you ever forgotten to travel with something that has been a problem?
A problem at the airport no. I always carry my passport, my phone and the visa. I have taken everything. Maybe once I arrive, I forget the teeth or pasta or something. Little things. Nothing important.

What is your favorite city to visit?
For the tournament, New York and Melbourne. Indian Wells, too. When I have free time, I love Spain. It doesn’t matter if it’s Malaga, Marbella or Valencia. Something like that. And on vacation, Bora Bora and Maldives. I have tumbo on the beach, without doing anything or think of tennis.

Do you prefer the adventure of visiting a city for the first time or the familiarity of returning to a known place?
Both. There are enough cities that I have visited and I love to return. But I’m still young. I have traveled a lot already, but I still have many places that I want to visit and it is possible to explore the city, culture, people and everything else.

How do you wear long flights?
If the flight is more than five hours, I always go in Business class because with my height it is quite difficult to be in a tourist class. Not Quepo.

And when you have to go in a tourist, how do you do?
My first option is emergency exit. In that case, when Business is full or something, we turn to a premium tourist class or emergency exit seats that have more space. Or if I’m there, I have to survive and wait for it.