Medvedev told he lost to Lehecka in practice before the tournament. So Jiri beat both Nadal (today's opponent) and Medvedev (QFs) in practice sets last week. 😅
"He's 600 in the world": Jiri Lehecka jokes Rafael Nadal isn't favourite for Madrid Open clash for one reason
ATPTuesday, 30 April 2024 at 15:49
Jiri Lehecka faces Rafael Nadal in the landmark tie at the Madrid Open on Tuesday, but he goes in with a no fear attitude and joked that he should be favourite as Nadal is 600th in the world.
Lehecka will probably be a hugely tough examination though for Nadal who played three hours on Monday against Pedro Cachin and interestingly also lost to the Czech ace in practice last week. “He’s 600 in the world so I should be the favourite,” he joked to reporters.
“If I’d go on court scared about what is happening, then I don’t really need to go there. This is something I’m trying to get away from my mind. But we know it’s Rafa and it’s clay,”
“I also know I do have the level to play very good tennis this week, and these conditions are one of the worst for his clay-court tennis. I’ll go on the court like I’m going to win and I will try to show my best tennis.
“It will be a great honour and a great experience for me. We all know Rafa on clay is one of the biggest challenges in tennis. Even if he’s not having the best season, I saw his level against [Alex] de Minaur and it made me want to say that his tennis was back.
“He proved he could play great tennis again. It will be a great challenge for me and I’ll be very happy to share the court with him.”
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