The 2023 Australian Open quarterfinalist Jiri Lehecka has announced he is no longer working with former Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych after 18 months together.
22-year-old Lehecka is one of the most exciting talents on the ATP Tour. He possesses a complete game that is capable of troubling the best players in the world when it is flowing.
The Czech made an excellent start to 2024. He won his maiden ATP title at the Adelaide International title, defeating Jack Draper 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 after a thrilling final that was dramatic from start to finish.
Lehecka followed that achievement by reaching the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells Open, losing to the US Open champion Jannik Sinner in straight sets, before reaching the Madrid Open semifinals.
Unfortunately, Lehecka had to retire at 3-3 in his semifinal in Madrid against Felix Auger-Aliassime because of a stress fracture in his vertebra. This severe problem kept him sidelined for over three months.
He returned at the Cincinnati Open. Lehecka's level was surprisingly high after being away from the sport for so long. The talented Czech beat Danill Medvedev in the round of 32 and narrowly lost to the eventual runner-up, Frances Tiafoe, 4-6, 7-6, 6-7 in the next round.
Lehecka also had a solid US Open. The 22-year-old progressed to the third round before falling to Andrey Rublev, who surprisingly withdrew from the 2024 Hangzhou Open a few days ago.
Those promising signs since returning from injury mean Lehecka's split from Berdych may surprise many, but the former world No. 4 taking a new role might explain the move.
Berdych was announced as Czech Republic's new Davis Cup captain two days ago. The country failed to reach November's Davis Cup Finals after being knocked out in last week's group stage.
That role would have made it more difficult for Berdych to devote the same amount of time to Lehecka. A young talent like him undoubtedly wants a settled team with whom he can work day in and day out.
Although Berdych's Davis Cup commitments were probably a factor, Lehecka did not explicitly give that as the reason. Instead, the 22-year-old said the decision was by mutual agreement, but he would work with Berdych again at the Davis Cup.
"As of today, by mutual agreement, I have ended my cooperation with Tomas Berdych, with whom I have been working since the Monte-Carlo 2023 tournament. Our paths are not diverging, though. We will continue to work with Tomáš within the Davis Cup team."
Lehecka also confirmed that the rest of his team would remain the same, giving him the continuity to keep working and improving at the rate he was before his unfortunate injury in Madrid.
“My team otherwise remains the same, with coach Michal Navratil, fitness coach Radek Stepanek, and physiotherapist Carlos Manuel Baptista Carvalho. The general manager of the team is Roman Vik and the agent is Pierre Christen.”
The Czech's next scheduled tournament is the 2024 China Open in Beijing. Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev are among the players on the entry list for the event.
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