Hailing from a nation of little more than 10 million people, Jiri Lehecka takes his hat off to the steady procession of his countrywomen sustaining Czechia’s reputation as a Grand Slam powerhouse in recent decades.
Since 1998, when Petr Korda snared an Australian Open and Jana Novotna saluted at Wimbledon, it has been all Czech women flying the flag atop the major champion’s dais.
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Petra Kvitova twice, Barbora Krejcikova twice and Marketa Vondrousova have all tasted success, not to overlook six Billie Jean King Cup team triumphs in eight years from 2011-2018, which lifted the nation’s historic haul to 11.
In the same period, Lehecka’s countrymen have lifted the Davis Cup twice, adding to one prior trophy.
Those back-to-back triumphs in 2012 and 2013 still resonate among his cohort and with three men aged 24 or younger now in the top 50, hopes are growing for a new age of Czech men as Grand Slam contenders.
World No.25 Tomas Machac and world No.29 Lehecka are the frontrunners, while 19-year-old Jakub Mensik – the youngest man in the top 100 – is at world No.48.
All three reached the third round at Melbourne Park, with Lehecka contesting a last-16 showdown with 10-time champion Novak Djokovic at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night.
“I mean if you talk about women's tennis, that's just incredible what Czech girls are able to produce,” Lehecka told ausopen.com in Brisbane.
“That is just one big wow. Of course, you know, men’s tennis was on the top before as well with Tomas Berdych, Radek Stepanek and other guys playing, but then after these two guys stopped there has been a few years where there was basically no one playing the finishing rounds of the tournament.
“When I got into top 100, I was the only guy at that moment who was playing and travelling around these big tournaments, so it's great that now we have three of us there and we can basically speak Czech in the locker-room again.
“It's a great feeling. I'm very happy about that. I hope it will continue like that even when we improve in the rankings.”
Lehecka combined with his compatriot Mensik to reach the doubles final in Brisbane leading into the Australian Open and while the pair fell short, he departed with the singles trophy – his second career title after Adelaide last year.
His affinity for the blue hard courts Down Under first became apparent two years ago when he stunned Felix Auger-Aliassime for his first top-10 win to reach the quarterfinals in just his fifth Grand Slam main draw.
“It wasn't looking good with me ranking-wise at the time,” he said. “I was 80 in the world and I needed some points in a few weeks so wanted to prepare very well back then. After the first two weeks [in Australia] I hadn't played well. I won my first round and since then I was feeling great on court. I'm really looking forward to doing it again one day and hopefully as soon as possible would be better.”
Injuries have not helped his cause since that breakout run at Melbourne Park in 2023. Following his Adelaide triumph over Jack Draper, he also posted wins over Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the last eight at Indian Wells last year.
Then came his bittersweet Madrid campaign. After he became the lowest-ranked player to beat Rafael Nadal in an ATP Masters 1000 event on clay, he toppled Daniil Medvedev to reach his first semifinal at that level before a back injury forced his retirement against Auger-Aliassime.
“First weeks after the injury happened, we were not certain what it was, so I was not sure if I'd be ready for a few weeks or whether it was the end of the season for me,” he said. “We knew it's a serious injury. It was a stress fracture of my vertebra, so basically the world stopped for me at that moment.
“I couldn't do anything, so the next three months were very challenging. After I got a green light to go back on court and to start to play, I was working basically from the ground, and I would start building again and again.”
Upon his return, it did not take long to rediscover some of his best, posting further wins over Medvedev and Tsitsipas and a second final of the season in Belgium.
“I wasn't having any pressure on me because I knew how it was before when I wasn't able to compete,” he said. “So right after I was just happy to be on court. I was enjoying every minute and that also helped me to be in a final again in Antwerp.
“I played a few good matches in Cincinnati, third round in New York. Definitely it was good for me to be back on court again … Since I started to play again, I have never felt anything again. I hope it stays that way.”
A top-25 return is assured when he departs Melbourne and a fit-again Lehecka is putting his best foot forward on the blue hard courts Down Under to lead this new age of Czech men’s contenders.