The colossus with feet of clay

Mensik is strong, powerful, mentally stable, Czech. But his body is not yet following...

Mensik's only limitation is his body at the moment. Absent since Miami, he returns to Madrid without any match on earth in his legs and takes out Dimitrov, yes yes. Unfortunately he wasn't able to continue against FAA but the guy every time he comes back he puts out crazy performances. I don't know how serious his arm problem is but he's been strapped heavily for a long time, I don't think the pain will magically disappear after ten days. He found Hanfmann, a player he beat in Madrid in particular, in a close match where he was the most realistic. The conditions in Rome are less advantageous for him, it's heavier, you have to put in more to score the points and we're not at altitude. I think the cards are stacked especially since Hanfmann is defending a quarter-final here! He played hot last year and arrives with a lot less confidence this year that's for sure. He won a good battle at home against Shevchenko, defended himself well against Mensik, didn't go far against Munar too. In short, his defeats are rather encouraging I think, obviously he will have the pressure of the result this week but at 32 the guy has enough experience to arrive with the right mentality for this tournament.