Of the eight countries classified for the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, perhaps the most notable was the Czech Republic and a superiority that it had not shown for many years. Are we facing one of the great shadow candidates?
The headline can be understood from a double variant. First of all, from the prism of nomenclature, and I don’t know when the term ‘was taken out of the trunk again.Czech Republic‘, although I admit that I love it. Secondly and more importantly, he has to talk about a historic power that seems to have awakened under the leadership of a veteran captain and a group of rabidly young players. Only this combination could have consummated such an immaculate performance in the group stage of the Davis Cup 2023 in Valencia: nine games, nine victories.
No other nation has even touched this distinction, only them. First they did their homework by knocking down the always spurred North Korea. The next day they confirmed that it had not been a coincidence by defeating Spain, for whom it was of little use to enjoy the home field in the Pabellón de la Fuente de San Luis. Finally, with everyone already warned of their danger, they finished off the task against Novak Djokovic’s Serbia to sign the full victory and secure first position in Group C. In short, a total deployment of their weapons through a renewed team that really wants to remember times gone by.
The team could not be better managed, since we are talking about a captain like Jaroslav Navratil who has been leading the team since 2006. The classics of the previous decade passed through his hands, that quartet formed by Radek Stepanek, Tomas Berdych, Jiri Vesely and Lukas Rosol. Now its main soldiers are no older than 23 years of age and have a self-confidence that invites them to dream of something big in the medium-term future. We refer to its main reference Use Lehecka (21), a high-ranking partner to accompany as Tomas Machac (22) and a third trick in the making like Jakub Mensik (18) about which they have been talking wonders for months. To complete the equation, an old fox like Adam Pavlasek (28) to also fight for the double point. In short, with only one top 100 in singles and #57 in the world in doubles, Czechia has shown that not everything depends on the ranking.
NINE OF NINE
Thus they defeated one by one – or two by two – all their opponents. The first day to the Koreans: Seongchan Hong, Soonwoo Kwon and the Nam/Song couple. On the second day of competition, the Spanish: Bernabé Zapata, Alejandro Davidovich and the Granollers/Davidovich duo. Finally, although they were already mathematically qualified for the finals in Malaga, they did not relax against Serbia, also beating Dusan Lajovic, Laslo Djere and the Djokovic/Cacic combo. Nine out of nine, perfection made series. Four sets lost in nine matches played.
“We deserve it because, really, we have played very well these days,” Jiri Lehecka assumed with all the impudence in statements collected by the Davis Cup website itself. “We have shown that we have the necessary level to beat all these guys. Every minute on the court for each of us has been like a statement, I think we have shown and demonstrated to the entire world that Czechia is back,” threatens the first Czech sword.
“It has been an incredible experience, anything you experience in Davis Cup is multiplied,” summed up his teammate Machac, second in command. “We never expected there to be so many people watching us, even in the doubles, they stayed with us throughout the qualifiers. There were unforgettable moments with the stands completely full. Seriously, thanks to all the Spaniards for coming, it has been very nice to see this response despite Spain not being playing. “They have given us a welcome quality every day, they made us feel at home.”
The Czechs, Davis Cup champions in the 1980 seasons (against Italy), 2012 (against Spain) y 2013 (against Serbia), they will seek their fourth crown in Malaga, although the main objective has already been achieved. Qualify for the Final8? Yes, that’s fine, but it goes much further. Czechia has reminded the entire world that she is still there, that she is back, that she has not forgotten to compete in the competition that has given them so much. And the best thing is that they have a wardrobe with other pieces like Vit Nettle (26) o Dalibor Svrcina (20), so Navratil will even be able to play with the chips for the next season in November.
2023-09-18 05:29:44
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