Lehecka on facing Djokovic: 'There's no bigger challenge'

Is playing Novak Djokovic in Australia the biggest test in tennis right now?

Czech Jiri Lehecka, who faces the Serbian at the United Cup on Tuesday, believes so.

“It will be our first meeting. I can't wait for it,” Lehecka told ATPTour.com. “There's no bigger challenge than playing Novak right now in Australia. With his amazing win streak. It's just one of the biggest challenges you can have. I really can't wait for it. I'm really looking forward to it and I hope it will be a great match.

“It's just something that you don't have every day, playing on a great court at a very nice venue and most probably there will be a lot of people watching us. You can't have a better start to the season and preparation for upcoming matches as this, so it's a good way how to prepare myself and it's good to see the reality of top tennis and see what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong.”

World No. 1 Djokovic has won the Australian Open a record 10 times and made a fast start to the 2024 season, winning in singles and mixed doubles on Sunday against China in Group E at the United Cup. The 98-time tour-level titlist has not lost on Australian soil since 2018 when he fell to Hyeon Chung in the fourth round at the Australian Open.

Lehecka enjoyed a steady rise in 2023, though, reaching a career-high No. 29 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The 22-year-old also earned Top 10 wins against Felix Auger-Aliassime and Andrey Rublev.

So how can the Czech trouble Djokovic in the RAC Arena?

“I mean that's something almost everyone would love to know,” Lehecka said. “But from my point of view, I am just trying to play my game because I know that when I play really well and I felt it also when I practised with him many times, that when I play confidently, when I try to go for the ball and go to the net, that's something which can work on him.

“I will still have some meetings with my coach about that match and we will just try to be very confident in the match. Trying to go for every ball as I can not give him many neutral shots where he can create something.”

Lehecka and Djokovic’s meeting at the 18-country mixed-teams event will be their first on Tour. The 2022 Next Gen ATP Finals runner-up has experience of practising with the 98-time tour-level champion and feels those sessions will give him belief going into Tuesday’s United Cup showdown.

“The first time I practised with Novak was in 2022 at Wimbledon. And then we practised together last year in Monaco, Wimbledon again. Always the practices we had were long practices. Two hours minimum. We always managed to play some practice sets and at a good intensity. It was always great.”

Lehecka is the Czech Republic’s leading men’s singles player at the United Cup this week, with Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova the No. 1 women’s player. The World No. 31 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, who beat Alexander Zverev at the event last season, is pleased to start his year at the tournament.

“For me, it is a nice way to start at the United Cup,” Lehecka said. “It's always very good and very pleasant to share the stage with other teams and with my mates here, which is always very nice. And we enjoyed that a lot. It's not as stressful as going right into other tournaments as you have two matches guaranteed. If you play well you go and play more.

“I enjoy the responsibility. We all came here with the mindset that we just want to have fun, we just want to play well and we just want to prepare as much as we can for the Australian Open.”

🇨🇿 @jirilehecka bringing the HEAT for Team Czech Republic 🥵#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/Uzdjk9rAQF

— United Cup (@UnitedCupTennis) December 30, 2023

Lehecka earned 33 tour-level wins in his first full season on Tour in 2023, reaching the final in Winston-Salem. He fell to defeat in his opening match of the 2024 campaign against China’s Zhang Zhizhen, though, but feels his level is close to what he expects at this stage following pre-season training in Tenerife with coach Michal Navratil.

“We lost to China. We didn't play the important moments well as we wanted to, but I played a good match,” said Lehecka, who also works with former World No. 4 Tomas Berdych. “If we speak about the first match of the season, it was alright and I'm feeling better and better during the practices. I am starting to feel more confident, so I think that I'm on a good path towards the Australian Open.”

Lehecka will head to Melbourne later this month with fond memories.

Twelve months ago, the Czech soared to the quarter-finals at the hard-court slam, defeating Borna Coric, Christopher Eubanks, Cameron Norrie and Auger-Aliassime en route. Lehecka revealed that his run helped him during tougher moments that followed in 2023.

“I always remember and I always think about that run when I'm not feeling good because that was a moment when I played my best tennis so far and it's just very nice to, to come back again to the same spot,” Lehecka said. “To see if I can do the same thing again, or maybe better. It was a great amount of experience for me. I gained points and experiences. I met new people and everything. I can't wait to go to Melbourne again.”

When previewing the whole season, Lehecka has big goals.

“I always like to work on some specific things during the day, during the week, during the month. I would love to win my first ATP title,” Lehecka said. “A big goal will be to get as close to the Top 20. That's probably my two biggest goals this year. I'm sure that will happen.”

For now Lehecka’s focus will be solely on playing Djokovic at the United Cup, knowing victory in the tie could mean the Czech Republic reaches the quarter-finals.