The Czech tennis players are facing severe winter in Portugal, where the Davis Cup qualifier awaits them this weekend. It was five degrees Celsius in the hall during their training session today. Even the dressing rooms and some hotel rooms where they live are unheated.
Captain Jaroslav Navrátil stated in an online interview that he had never experienced such conditions in almost 17 years in office. He considers them dangerous for players.
The management of the team will therefore discuss the situation with the chief referee and other representatives of the international federation ITF, who will arrive at the venue of the match on Tuesday.
The match will be played in the city of Maia, which is located about eleven kilometers from Porto. Temperatures there are currently exceptionally low by local standards, not exceeding ten degrees Celsius even during the day.
The Czech expedition arrived at midnight on Sunday and the first night brought the first problems. “In the morning, when we gathered for breakfast, we found out that only three boys had a heated room. The rest of us had only seven degrees there,” Navrátil complained.
Another unpleasant surprise awaited in the hall where the clay should be played. “The court is excellent, but it’s five degrees in the hall. You can’t imagine what kind of winter it was. The conditions are catastrophic, we’ll see what can be done about it,” described the Czech captain.
He doubts that it will be possible to heat the hall at all. This is a covered outdoor court that has no heating. “And in the morning it was four degrees here in Porto, during the day it should be eight,” explained Navrátil.
His charges completed training in tracksuits and sweatshirts. “It’s not possible to train fully like this. When you wear tracksuits, you have limited movement and everything,” stated Navrátil.
Tomáš Macháč and coach Daniel Vacek before the Davis Cup match against Portugal | Photo: Czech Davis Cup team/Karel Tejkal
Tomáš Macháč spent more than an hour on the court, who came to the interview in a winter jacket and cap. “The winter was really crazy. It’s a terrible transition from warm Australia to this winter,” he lamented.
Although Macháč packed warm underwear for Portugal in case he wanted to go out for a run, he is certainly not ready for a week of training in such a winter. “Besides, it’s cold in the dressing room too. There’s a direct heater,” he lamented.
Captain Navrátil is worried about player injuries under these conditions. It is Macháč who has bad experiences with this. “The last time I got injured was when it was really cold and it was raining, so I have respect for that. You have to warm up really well and play at a pace, you mustn’t get stiff,” said the tennis player.
The Portuguese are not prepared for such a winter, heating with direct heaters and gas heaters, which can be seen in restaurant gardens, is not enough.
“I hope the referees will come tomorrow and it will be resolved. I don’t even know if there are any rules regarding the temperature. This is the first time I have encountered this,” long-time Davis Cup captain Navrátil shook his head.
According to him, the members of the team will probably go shopping for clothes needed for cold conditions and maybe even heaters, which could be used to raise the temperature at least in the hotel rooms.
