Off the roller coaster to the Wimbledon eight finals! Lehecka to face Medvedev

Before this season, Jiří Lehečka had not won a single match on grass. Now he is preparing for the battle for promotion to the top eight in the Mecca of tennis on this surface. The Czech tennis player managed a difficult duel with the American Paul. What does he expect from the match against the world number three?

Jiri Lehecka is the best hope of Czech men’s tennis. The transition to the grass part of the season was a bit of a step into the unknown for him and his fans. The native of Mladá Boleslav had not won a single match on the fastest surface until this year.

Still, his results suggested he might not play second fiddle here. After all, it was only the very best who knocked him out of the grass tournaments that preceded the legendary Wimbledon. Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe.

At the All England Club, Lehecka dominated the rain-spattered first round and the duel with the seeded Argentine Cerundolo. After a winning duel against American Paul, he is now in the top 16 and is looking forward to a showdown with Daniil Medvedev.

Rollercoaster with Paul

Every tennis match comes with a story. In almost every match, we find moments that can completely turn the tide. Lehecek’s match in the third round of Wimbledon brought several similar moments.

The Czech tennis player was leading 2:0 in sets, but Tommy Paul did not give up and the next two sets ended in a tiebreak. During the shortened game at the end of the fourth set, Lehecka reached the match point. After his opponent’s return, he opted for a hawk’s eye. The ball seemed long to him.

But it wasn’t. The Czech lost the set a few moments later and the match was heading for a deciding set. What prompted Lehecka to make this move? “Probably an emotional rush,” he described his motives in an interview with ČTK after the match.

Lehecka was going through a very difficult break. On the one hand, he was one step away from victory, on the other hand, nothing was lost. He admits that he had to curb his urge to scratch the Wimbledon grass with his racket and walked away.

He says he regained his strength in the toilet. “I didn’t leave any negative thoughts room in my head,” he says of his set-up before the fifth set. And it paid off. The Czech tennis player was better in the fifth set, winning the American’s serve twice and celebrating his progress.

Eighth round with the Russian

Now he will face a tennis player from the top of the ATP rankings, Russia’s Medvedev. Lehecek’s experience with Daniil Medvedev is quite modest. He’s only trained with him once. Still, he knows approximately what to expect from him.

He suspects Medvedev is not a solid crampballer on grass. His maximum at the London Grand Slam is the fourth round. In previous years he has been knocked out here by Poland’s Hurkacz, Belgium’s Goffin and France’s Mannarino. Will Lehecka emulate them?

Source: CTK, Wimbledon