In Doha, the 21-year-old Czech received a painful lesson in the semifinals from British game legend Andy Murray. He did not convert five match points against him. Nevertheless, he left a deep mark on the minds of tennis fans and pundits alike. Lehečka is now one of the most popular names in world tennis.

“He became a player with an excellent forehand. According to statistics, the ball flies off his racket at about 127 kilometers per hour and adds 2,992 revolutions per minute to it. This is a lethal combination of speed and spin,” wrote the official ATP website about the star Czech on the rise.

While Lehečka was a revelation for the men’s circuit, the talent coach from Kněžmost knows about the power of his upbringing. Not so long ago, he had to give him new and new rackets.

“He had a big problem with the strings. He was able to destroy them in ten or fifteen minutes of play. When he got a racket with tighter strings it got better, but I honestly don’t think anyone made that racket.” can handle all the energy,” he laughs. coach Michal Navrátil.

It was the Navrátilov family clan that contributed to Leheček’s style becoming increasingly similar to the playing of former Czech tennis superstar Tomáš Berdych.

“My coach dad, Jaroslav Navrátil, put Tomáš in the top ten. When I was 16, Jaroslav also mentored me. For example, my forehand, that was his job. The older I get, the more I see myself in Tomáš,” Lehečka told reporters foreigners in Doha.

But this week won’t be limited to comparisons. The keen eyes of foreign journalists noticed that Berdych also appeared at Leheček’s training in Dubai and gave valuable advice to his young successor there with a racket.

“He is a role model for me. I watch Davis Cup matches and always cheer for him,” admits the 47th player in the world today.

Despite her ranking, she is one of the dark horses in the Dubai event after having quarter-finals at the Australian Open and semifinals in Doha. Bookmakers even backed him for the first round against seventh seed Alexander Zverev of Germany.

“The last match gave me confidence. It really helped, thanks to that I can play harder shots and show great tennis. Thanks to that, I am also calmer when serving,” said Lehečka.

His fight against Zverev, who is still on the court after picking up an injury, is on the program at around 17:30 and the newspaper Aktuálně.cz will report it online.