01.06.2010 12:12:13 | At the match of the first round of UniCredit Czech Open between Shtepanek and Martin there was a non-playing captain of the Czech Davis Cup, Jaroslav Navratil, sitting in the audience.
And there is no need to remind to tennis fans that after Wimbledon the Czech team is going to clash with Chile in the quarter finals. “Radek has gone through a difficult period, his health problem was an unexpected surprise for him. But he is a great fighter and he knows what he has to sacrifice for his tennis career. He is so experienced that he didn’t haste and returned onto the court at the right time when he felt he was able to win again. What I liked about the match was his apparent excitement about the game, one could see how happy he was on the court – although it will surely take some time for him to get into the best possible shape.”
And what does the non-playing captain think about the match against Chile? “I have said on repeated occasions that it is difficult to win big matches without Radek, he brings a victorious spirit into the team and the connection of Radek Shtepanek and Tomas Berdych makes the team really strong. We should not forget about the last year when we got promoted into the finals, which increased our self-confidence and now we know we are able to get quite far. Radek is an experienced professional, he was always perfectly ready for the matches and everything depends on how healthy he will be and what inner strength he will be able to gather. I am sure he has a big Davis Cup heart, he proves it in every match.”
After the successful match against Martin a question was raised about Shtepanek’s participation in the match against Chile but Radek delivered a reserved response: “It is too far, it depends on my shape and if I will be able to play three-set matches. There are a few weeks to go before the match in Chile and I hope to acquire a necessary shape in time. Then everything will be OK.”
