Despite being a constant powerhouse in women’s tennis, there was a moment when it seemed like Czechia wasn’t producing any new men’s stars. As recently as in 2019, there were no Czech players in the year-end ATP Top 100 with only 1993-born Jiri Vesely featuring in that group in the 2020-21 seasons.
But that also coincided with the rise of plenty of exciting prospects at the junior level, and while some of them haven’t exploded as projected (the best example being former junior No. 1 Jonas Forejtek), the wait is over, with Czechia now possessing three ATP Top 50 players. They’re all young and they all made the third round at the Australian Open.
Czech Men’s Tennis Shining Again
Lehecka loves playing Down Under
Lehecka’s Australian Open campaign has been the least interesting of the three so far. But the Czech reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne two years ago already (defeated World No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime along the way) before picking up both career ATP Tour titles in the Aussie swing (2024 Adelaide, 2025 Brisbane). That’s a 7-0 start to the season for the 23-year-old, who’s been a few spots away from breaking the Top 20 for quite some time now.
Last year, Lehecka reached an ATP 1000 semifinal in Madrid before having to pull the plug after six games due to a back injury. It came at the worst possible moment as the summer calendar in 2024 was so stacked, forcing him out of three massive events – Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the Paris Olympics. But with a healthy season, you just know that’s a part of the year where he’d make up a lot of points now. Ever since improving his transition game in the 2022/23 off-season, Lehecka’s attacking tennis became a lot tougher to handle and he’s got all the tools to produce another big run in Melbourne. Certainly, he’d love a crack at Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.
Machac sticking around
Before Lehecka might get to take on Djokovic, the Serbian will be coming up against another Czech first. Machac will face him in the third round after surviving a thriller against Reilly Opelka. He was stripped of some of his usual strengths in that matchup (like timing on return), but was able to dig deep and prevail despite only breaking the American once at four-all in the deciding set. The 24-year-old broke through a little later than most expected, hovering in the 100-120 ranking range for a couple of years despite clearly having the quality to take the next step.
But since he’s done it in the latter half of 2023, Machac is constantly proving he belongs on the ATP Tour. He’s done well against Djokovic in the past, with a deciding tie-break loss in Dubai two years ago and a semifinal win in Geneva last season. It was always fascinating to watch these two clash, as it’s so easy for both to redirect for a trademark backhand down the line. The 24-year-old loves rushing opponents and takes most of his shots on the rise, making it possible for him to go blow-for-blow off the ground even with the 10-time Australian Open champion.
Mensik’s first Top 10 win at a Slam
While Machac and potentially Lehecka haven’t faced a Top 10 opponent this week yet (they were both seeded), Mensik has already taken out World No. 6 Casper Ruud. The 19-year-old is now 5-4 against the Top 10, with two wins each earned over Grigor Dimitrov and Andrey Rublev in 2024. He recently had a disappointing showing at the Next Gen Finals, putting a lot of pressure on himself and only loosening up in the “best dead rubber ever” against Joao Fonseca. But Mensik didn’t let it bother him for too long, grabbing a lot of momentum ahead of the Australian Open with back-to-back quarterfinals in Brisbane and Auckland.
His serving has been off the charts in recent weeks, with over 20 aces in two Next Gen Finals matches and both Australian Open performances so far. The level of aggression off the ground feels like it’s gone up with all the times Mensik ends up venturing towards the net. And despite his size, his scrambling ability has always been very good, which has been crucial against both Ruud and Nikoloz Basilashvili. Back in their junior days (when he lost a 3-hour 43-minute Australian Open final to Bruno Kuzuhara), he was often compared to a more aggressive Hubert Hurkacz, and that’s basically how his playstyle is evolving, too. Compared to most of his peers in this power-oriented era coming up, it could grant him a lot more regulation and a higher floor than the “bashers” can hope for.
Looking ahead
Lehecka takes on Benjamin Bonzi, avoiding facing a seed in the third round after Grigor Dimitrov’s retirement (but he had a good record against the Bulgarian anyway, 3-1). If he prevails, he could face Tomas Machac in the fourth round if his compatriot manages to take down Novak Djokovic. Mensik is about to run into Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who’s coming off a draining 5-set win against Felix Auger-Aliassime. It will be especially fascinating to see Machac (and possibly Lehecka) take on Djokovic, as they are the first serious obstacles in the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s draw.
Main Photo Credit: Andy Abeyta/Desert Sun/USAToday Network
