Already in 2021, the captains of the opponents came to Navrátil and nodded their heads approvingly at the performances of Tomáš Macháč and Jiří Lehečka. After another two years of gaining experience, however, Czech ambitions have grown significantly.
“We are no longer outsiders,” Lehečka, a top 30 player, says decisively. We already have our own level and we are not the only ones who can surprise. All the more so if Alcaraz won’t play for Spain,” claimed the number one.
This year it will be ten years since the Czechs last won the Davis Cup. After the end of Tomáš Berdych and Radek Štěpánek, there was a lull for our colors in the team competition, but Navrátil, who has been captain since 2006, is pleased to see how things are moving forward again.
Photo: Mike Segar, Reuters
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz will miss Spain against the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup.
“The guys are young, but they’re coming up the ranks. I would like more of them to settle in the hundred and we will be competitive again. But we didn’t just come to Valencia to participate,” claimed the Czech captain.
Already after the play-off in Portugal, where Lehečka shined, positive vibes came from the Czech team. After all, the youngsters also borrowed the slogan from their predecessors: We will win the bowl anyway, which also accompanies them in Valencia. The top two teams from the four-man group, which also includes South Korea, will advance to the final tournament in Malaga (November 21-26).
And the Czechs have already done a lot in preparation for it. “Except for Macháč, who is playing a challenger in France to gain more practice after the US Open, we trained together excellently from Monday to Friday in Prostějov. I hope it shows in the matches. The boys are ready,” says Navrátil.
2023-09-10 20:08:00
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