While the Slovak tennis players are fighting in the Davis Cup final tournament in China, the Czechs are competing in Spain. Specifically in Valencia. And so, like the Slovaks, they are not doing well either.
Photo: Profimedia
Tomáš Macháč congratulates Alexei Popyrin on his victory.
After losing to the home team led by Carlos Alcaraz in the opening match, they were not enough even for the Australians in the next performance.
However, more than the results, beyond the river Morava they are dealing with the way in which their representatives lost in the second match-up.
In the second singles match – after the Czechs lost the first one and had a knife on their neck – Tomáš Macháč only stepped on the court, played one game and announced a scratch.
He gave Alexei Popyrin the victory and the Australians an unattainable 2:0 lead.
By the way, Macháč played a duel with Alcaraz the day before, who also scratched in the third set. It was so obvious that he was entering the fight with Popyrin injured.
After he left the court after a few minutes, a whistle was heard from the stands in Valencia, which was also noticed by the Czech media.
“After all, the audience didn’t pay for this,” the expert commented on the situation portal isport.cz Jan Jaroch.
He especially criticized the non-playing captain of the Czech national team, Jaroslav Navrátil.
The reason?
Navrátil could nominate five players for the final tournament – just like any non-playing captain. Precisely because of injuries or illness.
But he did not do so, as the only one of the sixteen captains in the Davis Cup final tournament.
“It was a gamble. The team completely disintegrated after the fight with the Spaniards, Leheček fell ill, Macháč was injured. Hopefully, next time we will start in the top five… Because even if fewer players mean a larger share per head, such events do not give Czech tennis a good name,” the author concluded his criticism.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
