Jiří Lehečka celebrates in Miami. (Getty/Rich Storry)
Czech player Jiří Lehečka made headlines recently by reaching the final of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami.
It was the best result of his career and lifted him to a career-high ranking of world No.14.
From the outside, it looks like a breakthrough, but from a Czech perspective, it looked almost like regular programming.
For a nation of just over 10 million people, this kind of result is no longer surprising. Czechia has consistently sat at the top of the game for decades, producing Grand Slam champions and elite-level players across both the men’s and women’s tours.
The list stretches across generations. Jana Novotná, Petra Kvitová, Petr Korda, Barbora Krejčíková and Markéta Vondroušová have all won major titles.
While earlier eras from Czechoslovakia delivered Ivan Lendl, Hana Mandlíková and Jan Kodeš, and you can also throw in Martina Navratilova, who began her career there before defecting to the United States.
Team success has followed the same pattern. The men won back-to-back Davis Cup titles in 2012 and 2013, while the women dominated the Billie Jean King Cup, claiming seven titles between 2011 and 2018.
And the pipeline shows no signs of slowing. Lehečka, Jakub Menšík and Tomáš Macháč headline a new generation on the men’s side, all 25 or under, while Karolína Muchová, Linda Nosková and Marie Bouzková continue to keep Czechia firmly entrenched near the top of the women’s game.
This is not a golden generation; it is a sustained pattern that stretches across decades.
So how the hell do they do it?
After Vondroušová won Wimbledon as an unseeded player in 2023, American tennis writer Peter Bodo gave his perspective.
“The secret sauce in Czech success is made from the preponderance of mostly modest tennis clubs spread throughout the nation, an excellent stable of coaches, and national pride that inspires and feeds on itself,” he said.
That observation captures the foundation of Czech tennis. It is not built around just one philosophy.
Developing an all-round game
At its core, Czech tennis places a deep emphasis on technical development, but not in a way that limits players to a single style.
Speaking on the Control the Controllables podcast, Head Coach of the Czech Tennis Federation and Sports Director, Jan Stoces, explained why that foundation is so important.
“Czech tennis… is so special because there are so many coaches which are really taking care about the technique,” he said.
That technical focus is paired with variety rather than repetition.
“They’re using slice, and they’re using approach and drop shots,” he continued.
Czech players develop a broad skillset, allowing them to adjust, problem-solve and disrupt opponents rather than rely on patterns.
It may be why they’ve had particular success in recent years at Wimbledon.
“I’m just trying to play aggressive and maybe, like, mix the points,” Vondroušová said during her rise on tour.
Importantly, there isn’t a cookie-cutter approach to player development.
“The centre is more flexible to adapt to the player,” Stoces said.
“I am completely working with everybody individually, because everybody is completely different.”
Listen to The First Serve Live every Monday at 8pm AEDT in its 18th year on the SEN Network/App, Australia’s only dedicated weekly tennis program on commercial radio running through till the end of November.
Just as important as how Czech players are taught is how often they compete.
“You need the kids to compete and play, it’s not just about the practice,” Stoces said.
“We have the Czech tournament system, which is great.”
The Czech structure begins at local clubs before progressing into regional centres for the most talented players.
This development pathway sees players exposed to real match situations from a young age.
Tennis culture and networks
The system is strengthened by the way knowledge is shared.
“We have the concentration of the great coaches and many former players in the system,” Stoces said.
That environment encourages collaboration across all levels.
“I was trying to learn every day something from somebody,” Stoces said.
This forms networks for players, which Vondroušová spoke about during her Wimbledon title run.
“I talked with Barbora Strýcová before the match,” she said.
“I texted also with Karolína Muchová. We are from the same club… I also talked with Karolína [Plíšková] when she was playing Paris. In Czech, we have so many great players. We also support each other. It’s very nice to see.”
Beyond coaching and structure, there is also a cultural foundation.
“We are [a] very traditional tennis country,” Stoces added.
“And [when] we have a Czech girl in the finals… nobody [is] talking about [it] anymore.”
In many countries, success can be overhyped and create expectations and egos.
Not so much for the Czechs.
“I don’t really care about this stuff… I’m just a normal person,” Vondroušová said after her Wimbledon victory.
Even at the highest level, there is a sense of groundedness that runs through the system.
“I think nobody really believes that I got to the final, and I think nobody is really going to believe that I won Wimbledon. I still cannot believe it,” Krejčíková said after her title.
All of these elements combine to produce one of Czechia’s greatest strengths: depth. That depth creates internal competition long before players reach the international stage.
And when they do, they are benefited by geography. Located in central Europe, the circuit at all levels is often on their doorstep.
Ultimately, Lehečka’s Miami run is something to celebrate, but the fact that it’s not a huge celebration or a surprise is exactly why Czechia is so successful.
The combination of elements leading to their success will no doubt lead to consistency and depth for years to come.
And that is why, when the next Czech player wins a Grand Slam, it will not feel unexpected. It will feel inevitable.
Cremonini Clay specialises in converting en tout cas tennis courts into Cremonini Italian clay tennis courts at a fraction of the cost of a total court rebuild with over 50 years of experience. To find out more head to www.cremoniniclay.com.au
