Watch: Jakub Mensik's provocative response towards French crowd at Roland Garros

In one of the most talked-about moments of day 3 in Roland Garros 2025, Czech rising star Jakub Mensik stole the show with his reaction to the French crowd. Mensik responded in a very creative way to the hostile fans who were booing him after taking the first set against local favorite Alexandre Müller.

The clip, quickly viralized, shows Mensik recreating a conductor, directing the boos as in was his own orchestra. For a player still early in his professional journey confronting the traditional and vocal home support of a French crowd is no small task.

Jakub's performance on court on this debut echoed his response, as the Czech played with his already characteristic calm, focus and poise, winning the match in four sets 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3 in three hours of intense tennis.

We've seen this reactions once and again, especially with the French crowd when one of their own takes the court. The energy can swing from electric support to pointed hostility.

Over the years, many top stars have had their own psychological battles with the fans in the French Open. Novak Djokovic for example, has frequently faced boos in Paris to which he responded with cold defiance, using that same tension to fuel his game.

Serena Williams also had her share of frosty receptions, often meeting that noise in a similar way as Djokovic has.

Unlike Djokovic and Williams, who had years of Grand Slam experience when they confronted these hostile atmospheres, Mensik is still making his way into the upper ranks of the sport. For Mensik, responing to the crowd in one of the most emotionally charged venues in tennis is a testament of mental strength. However, his actions awakened a mix of emotions in social media.

Far from that, Mensik now will focus on his next step, a second round matchup against Portugal's Henrique Rocha.