Jiri Lehecka, Rafael Nadal’s opponent in the Madrid Open fourth round, recently shared his perspective on the gesture of receiving Nadal’s shirt as a gift after their match. Speaking to Punto de Break, Lehecka reflected on whether he would have appreciated such a gesture had he lost to the Spanish tennis legend.
“I don’t know. Maybe, it’s hard for me to say, because I went out on the track to win,” Lehecka explained. “If you go out to win, it’s hard for me to go after him and ask him if he can give me something. I don’t know, I don’t want to. It might sound disrespectful, but it’s the last thing I would do.”
Expressing his views further, Lehecka emphasized his focus on competitive play and his reluctance to seek gifts from opponents. “If you’re playing a game and you’re thinking about asking your opponent to give you something, I mean, why are you there?” he questioned. “It’s a little weird, in my opinion.”
Lehecka acknowledged that while he respects Pedro Cachin’s decision to accept Nadal’s gift, he personally wouldn’t pursue a similar gesture. “You can have your opinion on this topic, and I totally respect what Pedro did,” Lehecka stated. “It’s great for me, I have no problem with it, but I wouldn’t do something like that.”
Lehecka’s comments provide insight into his competitive mindset and his perspective on sportsmanship on the tennis court. His words highlight the diversity of opinions within the tennis community regarding such gestures of sportsmanship.
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Ranked world no.512, Nadal played his last match on the 30th of April when he lost to world no.31 Jiri Lehecka 7-5 6-4 in the 4th round in Madrid (draw).
Currently, during this season Rafael has an overall 6-3 match record.
He is also scheduled to play at the French Open (French Open) after Rome. The main draw will start on the 8th of May.
Lehecka in Madrid, ranking, and results in 2024
Ranked no.31, the Czech has a compiled 16-8 record in 2024. Lehecka is currently competing in Madrid where he bested the world no.130 Hamad Medjedovic 7-5 6-4, the world no.118 Thiago Moura Monteiro 6-4 7-67 and the world no.512 Rafael Nadal 7-5 6-4.
Jiri Lehecka will play the world no.4 Daniil Medvedev in the quarter on Wednesday at 8:00 pm on MANOLO SANTANA STADIUM. Their actual head to head record is 1-0 for Medvedev.
The Czech conquered 1 title in 2024 in Adelaide.
Rafael Nadal and Jiri Lehecka played each other just 1 time. Their head to head is 1-0 for Lehecka. When they played, Jiri Lehecka won 7-5 6-4 in the 4th round in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) on the 30th of April 2024.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Rafael Nadal and Jiri Lehecka |
| Embed from Getty Images |
