Jiri Lehecka attained a career-best victory this season when he reached the quarterfinal of the Indian Wells Masters. Now, he has the same chance in the Madrid Open, but he faces a gigantic hurdle in the form of Rafael Nadal. Lehecka has managed to attain straight sets victories over all of his opponents in Madrid, thanks to his coaching team, which includes Tomas Berdych and Michal Navratil.

New tennis fans may not have heard of Berdych, but those who started following the sport in the mid-2000s know him as the player who fell short often. Retired in 2019, he now uses his tennis knowledge to coach his countryman, Lehecka.

All you need to know about Jiri Lehecka’s new coach, Tomas Berdych

Berdych was born in Valašské Meziříčí, Moravia, Czechoslovakia, to parents Hana Berdychová and Martin Berdych. Berdych began playing tennis at the age of five, at his hometown’s tennis center. At the age of eight, he won the Czech Republic’s premier young boys competition in Pardubice. Berdych quickly rose to prominence as a top youngster, earning the Czech Republic U-12 youngster Title. 

Berdych’s best performance in grand slams came during the 2010 Wimbledon, where he reached the final and lost 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 to Rafael Nadal. The former player has reached the semifinal in grand slams 6 times in his career and even won the 2004 Paris Masters. But then Berdych had the misfortune of being one of the players who had to face the big 3 in their prime.

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He ultimately retired in 2019 and joined Lehecka’s coaching team before the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters. “(With Jiri), it all came quite naturally – at the beginning of this year, we started to talk a little bit, and then he came up with an idea to add me to the team. Since Monaco, we spent a couple of weeks together, this is our first Slam and everything is going pretty good,” Berdych told Tennis Major in 2023. While Berdych aims to be the perfect guide for Lehecka, he is not the only one who helps the player.

Meet another member of Lehecka’s coaching team, Michal Navratil

Michal Navrátil is a former professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. Born in Přerov, he is the son of Jaroslav Navrátil, a former player and later Davis Cup captain. The left-hander received his early training at Moravia’s National Tennis Centre. He and Ladislav Chramosta advanced to the Australian Open boys’ doubles final in 1999 but lost.

As a tennis player, Navrátil did not experience much success. He showed great form in Futures but couldn’t manage the same panache on Challengers. He won three Challengers in doubles but would soon turn to coaching. He has been Adam Pavlasek’s head coach for three years, and he has helped him rise from No. 550 to a career-high ATP ranking of 72.

Jiri Vesely, a former World #1 Junior, is his head coach, and he has helped him climb from No. 300 to No. 64 in the FedEx ATP rankings. He has also worked as Tomas Berdych’s practice and travel companion. Now, he coaches Lehecka with Berdych.

The two players found a great star in the 22-year-old Lehecka. He will face a big challenge in Nadal, which makes it personal for Berdych. They will look to overcome him and move ahead where he is the favorite.