MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 1, 2024

Jiri Lehecka

Press Conference

J. LEHECKA/R. Nadal

7-5, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: It was an emotional night. Can you talk about the emotions and the match today.

JIRI LEHECKA: Yeah, of course it was a tough match today. I mean, I don't really know what to say. It's a dream come true for me to share this kind of stage with Rafa, you know, on clay in Spain.

If I speak about the match, it wasn't anything easy. You know, Rafa proved this week that he again has level to compete on Masters level. From what we saw against Alex de Minaur back in the week and some other moments during his matches, it just proved that he was able to produce some of his good tennis. But of course I was just trying to focus on myself and trying to play my game, to focus on things I want to do. It went well today, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You are from a country that has great champions. Tomas Berdych was there. But we remember you last year in Davis Cup against Spain. Your game suits Madrid because 10 or 15 lines you got today with serves?

JIRI LEHECKA: Yeah. I mean, for me, the crucial moment about getting used to these conditions was last year, you know, because last year when I came here to Madrid, I didn't feel good. You know, it was new for me. Everything was kind of all over again.

When I got used to these conditions last year, even all too I played very bad here this year, then this year I came here with some kind of experience to know what to expect, because Madrid is very, let's say, it's different than other clay court tournaments.

So I kind of knew what to expect. I knew that it will be difficult to prepare well. But I manage it.

I worked hard during the preparation week to get my rhythm on court. Every match I felt like I'm improving, and today I showed that even in some crucial moments I was able to produce good tennis.

Q. Congrats. You practiced with Rafa a few days ago. Obviously it's different, practice and match. But do you feel like he improved a lot in these past few days in terms of movement and tennis-wise?

JIRI LEHECKA: Yes, definitely. When I practiced with Rafa a couple of days ago, it was our first meeting on court in, like, ever. We were supposed to practice last year a couple of times, but unfortunately he canceled the practices because of health issues, which is totally understandable.

So this year here in Madrid, we managed to practice together, and I think it was new for both of us. I mean, we never faced each other on the other side of the court. Doesn't matter if it was practice or match.

So this week we managed to go through both, and I think it was very important to me to at least share the court with him before I went straight to the match, because his game is very specific, you know, and on clay he's a player like no one else.

For me to have a chance to practice with him was good for me in terms of finding the timing of his shots, trying to get used to the rhythm he's trying to create.

I think that he took it the same way. We know both what we are heading into, and today it was totally different level than we produced on the practice. We both played much more better, and of course, I mean, match is totally different. You are trying to win. You are trying to give everything.

In the end, it was me who was the happier one today. I'm very happy for that.

Q. How do you prepare yourself for going into a massive stadium where almost everyone is cheering against you? What did you draw upon in that match just to focus on yourself?

JIRI LEHECKA: Yeah, that's a good question, because I don't really think that there is any way on how to prepare for this, because, you know, the moment in the last game of the match which I experienced where there was 13,000 people screaming, Rafa, Rafa, cheering for him, almost like all the time, is something I have never experienced in my life. I doubt that I will experience this kind of thing ever again.

For me, it was very important just to focus on myself. I kind of do this trick that in my mind I try to create, like, illusion that they are cheering for me. Because that's the only way how to deal with it.

If you start to think about that and if you start to think about there is 13,000 people, everyone is against you, no one wants you to win this point, then you don't really need to be there on the court because you already lost.

That's why I tried to focus on myself on the things I try to do in the next point, the way I want to toss on my serve and all this stuff, because you need to get these things away from your mind somehow, somehow. Every player has different techniques. Every player is doing something else.

I'm doing that I'm trying to imagine that they are cheering for me. Yeah. That's the way how I tried to stay calm in the last game.

Q. Congratulations. I don't know if you saw, Cachin asked Rafa the shirt. I wonder if you ask him something from his last match here in Madrid?

JIRI LEHECKA: I don't know. Maybe, I don't know, it's tough for me to say, because I went on the court to win, you know. When you go on the court and you go there for the win, then it's tough for me to run after him and to ask him for some things, you know, if he can give me something.

Because I don't really know, I don't want to sound disrespectful something, that's the last thing I would like to, but if you are playing a match and you are thinking about asking the guy to give you something, then, I mean, why you are there? It's kind of weird, in my opinion. I mean, everyone can have his own opinion on this thing. I totally respect what Pedro did. It's absolutely fine for me. I have zero problem with it. But for me I would not do such a thing.

I would do this maybe after the whole tournament, after, I don't know, when I see him somewhere, just asking for a photo like I did after our practice. This is what I did, because of course I didn't know if I would have a chance to play with him again or if we would play a match together.

That's why I asked Rafa to take a picture with me after our practice earlier this week. But if we are speaking about him giving me a T-shirt, I mean, I don't know, I just don't go into a match with these kind of intentions, and I just have different approach in this thing.