Lojda: Czech & Aussie Tennis Futures Brighten

After a week of the opening grand slam of the season, from the Czech point of view, we no longer have anyone to cheer for in singles.

On the one hand, after seven Czech representatives made it to the third round, we probably hoped that someone would make it to the second week. On the other hand, there are many things we can be happy about.

For example, Kuba Menšík. He’s had a great start to the year with a big defense of Miami points ahead of him. He has won seven games in a row since the Auckland title, which is a decent chunk of points and an even bigger boost of confidence to draw from in the next stage of the season.

He showed again what makes him tick and what made him win the Masters. He won six of seven tiebreaks, was active, served well. Especially in the second round against Rafael Jódar, he showed a perfectly confident performance.

At the end of the third round, he could already see a slight health limitation, I initially guessed it was something with his leg, but he himself finally admitted that he was struggling with an abdominal muscle. It was enough to advance, but not to start the battle against Novak Djokovic.

It’s a huge shame because a match with the Serb would be a real test for him, the way he is at the moment, an opponent of the highest class, especially in Australia.

But Menša did well. You can’t play against a Serb if you’re not 100 percent. It’s the start of the season and risking aggravating an injury and being out for a few months is nonsense.

Karolína Muchová also deserves praise, we all know what she has in her, and that she is a top 10 player when she is in the best of health. She herself hoped for a better result, but the unpopular American Coco Gauffová put a stop to her again.

It’s 0:5 for matches with her. That’s a stat you definitely notice when you step onto the court. It’s hard to go on the court laughing when you’re up against someone you’ve never beaten before.

But this time Muška was not far away. Coco was playable. It basically decided one weak moment when she let the third set slip away and it was over. The American plays aggressively, she moves well, and Muška does not have much time for her colorful game. So, in the end, the favorite took care of it.

Overall, however, she played great matches in Australia, is healthy, and started working with experienced coach Sven Groeneveld. According to the information I have, they should probably take turns with Vašek Šafránek and divide the tournaments they will go to with Kája.

I believe this could be a good coaching mix that will push her towards some of the big titles she is still waiting for.

But what was really the bomb of this Grand Slam were the performances of young girls Tereza Valentová and Nikola Bartůňková.

We have been saying about the first one for a long time that she is a future champion, a Czech warrior. He has a great head, he is not afraid, he goes for winning balls. I am convinced that he will be in the top thirty of the ranking this year and will settle in the top for a long time.

She is already in the top 50, so she has a season full of big tournaments that she has not played yet, against opponents of a difficult caliber. But I believe that he will pass this test and move on.

Bartůňková, on the other hand, experienced a breakthrough and came close to the first hundred. But she caused an even bigger ruckus. She won the qualifier, then defeated Darja Kasatkina and Belinda Bencic. Two big names in world tennis.

And especially in what way. She can play absolutely everything, similar to Muška, she is not afraid of anything, she can prove herself on all surfaces, I am looking forward to Wimbledon for example, she could do a lot there.

I liked how confident she was. She was playing in a big stadium against famous opponents, someone could collapse, but she didn’t, on the contrary, she was enjoying it, making fun of herself, pumping her fist. And a person must be born with it, it is in him. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she finished the season in the top 50, for example.

Who else would I pick is Tomáš Macháč. With him, we all know that when he is healthy, he plays great tennis. That he just has to sort out his priorities and realize which tournaments he wants to play and when he wants to prioritize exhibitions instead of regeneration.

From what he’s said in interviews, he’s got this sorted. His knee was still bothering him in the winter, but in Australia, like Menša, he got off to a great start, won the title in Adelaide and then managed a brutal draw at the Grand Slam.

You could see that he had gained confidence, as he handled the matches with Grigor Dimitrov and Stefanos Tsitsipas brilliantly. Even against Lorenzo Mussetti, he wasn’t far off, if he finished the second set and led 2:0, I believe that he wouldn’t lose three sets in a row.

On the other hand, he played an even battle with the fifth player in the world, that is appreciated. The main thing is to keep him healthy now, and then I believe he can go very high in the season.

Overall, the Australian Open left a positive impression on me. Honestly, at the moment probably none of the Czech players are among the biggest favorites at the Grand Slams.

Only the unplayed Jirka Lehečka, who ran into a qualifier in the lauf, and Linda Nosková, who paid for a demanding end of the season, were half-injured and ran out of juice.

Of the four Grand Slams, Melbourne is one of the less successful for Czech tennis. It’s probably logical. You are flying to the opposite side of the hemisphere, you need to adapt to completely different conditions than those in the Czech Republic. Maybe that’s it.

However, the rest of the week will be interesting. I wonder if the time off after Menšík’s withdrawal will help Djokovic. Nothing easy awaits him with Mussetti, even if he saved a few hours of jogging by signing off. I still stand by the fact that he won’t win any more Grand Slams.

But after seeing Sinner struggle in the heat, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Carlos Alcaraz eventually wins the Australian Open.