Being Brad Pitt, swimming with dolphins & Real Madrid joy; Mensik, Shang, Van Assche open up
Jakub Mensik, Shang Juncheng, and Luca Van Assche are among the most exciting young talents making waves on the ATP Tour right now. And this week, they are all in the field at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF in Jeddah, but before the action heats up on court, the trio discussed some of their off court interests.
On Monday, ahead of the event, the trio talked to ATPTour.com about everything from their favourite movies and Netflix series to their dream doubles partners and unforgettable off-court experiences. Here’s what they had to say…
[ATP APP]Favourite Netflix series and favourite movie?
JM: My favourite series is Game Of Thrones, and I like the series Vikings. For movies, I love Gladiator and Gladiator II. It is one of my favourite films and I also love The Wolf of Wall Street, it is such a good film. I like action movies and series and also classics.
SJ: I really like The Great Gatsby or Inception. Great Gatsby is a great movie and a great book, maybe an even better book.
LVA: I think my favourite one is Prison Break, and on Netflix I watched Fauda. In general, I don’t have one in particular. Just older films, like Gladiator.
Favourite artist and last song you listen to before you take to court?
JM: The song I would listen to would be Mockingbird by Eminem. It gets me in the zone before matches and I have had some good wins after listening to it. I like a lot of music by Eminem.
LVA: I listen to a lot of music. In French, I like PNL a lot. They are a French rap group. Sometimes I also listen to the Weeknd. The last song I listen to before going on court is Gazo. He is a French rapper also.
What’s something cool you’ve done off the court because of being a tennis player?
JM: I went to watch the El Classico during Madrid this year. I am a big Madrid fan so to have the chance to watch Madrid play Barcelona was unreal. I think it was one of the best experiences. You could also call it sightseeing, visiting the Bernabeu stadium.
SJ: I hung out with dolphins. I was out on a boat by an island and then the dolphins followed us all the way back from the island to the shore, which was about an hour and a half. To see them up close for so long was really cool.
LVA: Sometimes I am invited to rugby matches in France through being a professional tennis player. I went twice to matches in Paris during the 2023 World Cup. I saw France vs. New Zealand and New Zealand vs. Ireland.
Who would your dream doubles partner be and why?
JM: I would choose Dustin Brown. He is fun, he is a showman and he knows how to play well at the net, so I think it would be a fun choice.
SJ: I would say Li Na. She has been a huge inspiration for Chinese tennis. My main memory of watching her was the final at the Australian Open when she won it in 2014. That was really inspiring. In men’s I would choose Novak Djokovic.
LVA: Federer, because he is my favourite player.
If you could switch places with one person in the world for a day, who would it be?
SJ: I would choose someone famous and probably an actor like Brad Pitt. I would like to see what his lifestyle would be like. Any amazing actor would do just to see the cool lifestyle they would live.
LVA: If it was a tennis player it would be [Roger] Federer, because I would like to see how it feels to be like him. Away from tennis, maybe the President of France, to see what he does all day.
Do you have a secret talent?
JS: I think I am quite good at golf. I don’t play much but when I do, I play quite well. I should go and play with Rafa and Casper Ruud.
LVA: I played piano when I was a kid, but it was more than 10 years ago, so maybe I forgot it. [I could ask] Ugo Humbert for advice: he’s very, very good.
What is your favourite cheat meal?
JS: I like a really good Italian pizza.
LVA: It would have to be pizza.
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