| October 10, 2024 | by Vivienne Christie |
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More than 10 years have passed since two Czech players featured in the Rolex Shanghai Masters quarterfinals, Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek doing so in 2012.
And now Tomas Machac and Jakub Mensik have replicated their achievements in Shanghai, with each young man showcasing an exciting brand of tennis that's disrupting an established order.
With wins this week over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Aleksandar Vukic and the higher-ranked Tommy Paul, the 23-year-old Machac set a quarterfinal showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.
"Good luck, man. Win this tournament!" an admiring Paul told his world No.33 conqueror after their fourth-round match spanned three superb-quality sets and more than two hours.
"I was playing great tennis, so I know that the level of tennis was one of the highest which I play," said a smiling Machac, when asked to expand on that sporting moment with Paul. "It was really nice that he said that, but he's a great player, he's top 15, so I have to play this level to beat him, so it's tough to play against these guys."
Mensik's path to the quarterfinals in his Shanghai debut has arguably been even more impressive.
At age 19, the world No.65 Mensik stunned Pedro Martinez, No.5 seed Andrey Rublev, Alexander Shevchekno and No.9 Grigor Dimitrov to record his best ATP Masters 1000 performance.
Each match for the teenager has been a hard-fought three-set battle, with wins over top-10 players Rublev and Dimitrov underlining a steeliness against high-profile opponents. Mensik is also a winner over those two players in earlier 2024 matches, meaning he's claimed four consecutive top-10 wins in his first full year on tour.
The teenager also demonstrated that composure in a match of momentum swings against Dimitrov, the world No.65 completing his victory with a series of superb backhand down-the-line winners.
"I'm working a lot on the mental side with my mental coach, Dragan Vujovic, so we are working together for five years," said Menisk, as he prepared for a quarterfinal showdown with his idol, Novak Djokovic. "He was on my team from a really young age, so, I mean, big thanks to him because, yeah, in those situations it's always tough to stay focused, to stay in the match.
"But yeah, I'm really happy that I can be mentally still in the game, even if I'm not making any match points, set points, or when the score is really tight."
A tight Czech contingent, which includes world No.34 Jiri Lehecka in the ATP top 100, also thrives through each other's support. Mensik was watching as countryman Machac defeated Paul on Wednesday, adding motivation for his match against Dimitrov. "Czech tennis it's really great, and very important that we are coming back on top, you know, not just me and Tomas, but obviously (world No.34) Jiri (Lehecka) is also there as well," said the teenager. "We are pushing each other forward, and that's really great, so, I mean, in the future we can reach big things."
Machac, who has trained at Prague's TK Sparta Praha since he was invited to the prestigious club as a 10-year-old, agrees.
"We have a good team right now, we are going really up. I would say we practise a lot between each other, we try to help each other," said Machac. "It's good to have this kind of players on the tour, and pushing each other, helping each other, it's great for Czech tennis."
As the Czech Republic's recently appointed Davis Cup captain, Berdych is happy to play a role. The former world No.4 - a prominent performer in his nation's 2012 and 2013 titles - travelled to Shanghai to support his team members ahead of the tournament.
"He wanted to spend some time with us, which is really great," Mensik related of Berdych. "I'm happy that he was here, that we can chat a bit, you know, he can see us in the action, you know, so it's always really great to have him on your side."
Like Berdych, Mensik developed his talents in the city of Prostejov - as did two-time Wimbledon women's champion, Petra Kvitova.
They are part of a rich legacy in the sport for the nation, which also includes Grand Slam champions Ivan Lendl, Petr Korda, Jana Novotna, Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova.
There's a proud history in Czech tennis - and as Machac and Mensik are showing in Shanghai this year, there's clearly a bright future too.
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