Navratil, captain of a decimated Czech team: "What can I do?"
The Czech Republic is facing a very difficult 2024 Davis Cup.
Having arrived in Valencia with a desire to surprise, the Czechs had every reason to be ambitious.
Boosted by two of the most promising young players on the circuit, Tomas Machac and Jiri Lehecka, their presence in Group B clearly made this the group of death (Spain, Australia, France, Czech Republic).
In the end, the Czech Republic proved incapable of competing with their opponents.
Soundly beaten by Spain and Australia (3-0 on each occasion), they were eliminated even before facing France, who were also doomed.
The main reason for this was the team's general physical state, as their captain, Jaroslav Navratil, explained with some disappointment: "We have two players, one injured and suffering from cramps, the other with a 38-degree fever, so what can I do?
We did our best. Jakub (Mensik, 67th in the world), at 19, it's not easy.
He finished last night at midnight (Wednesday), and today (Thursday) he had to play singles and doubles. He did everything he could on the court."
As a laboratory for tomorrow’s tennis, does the Next Gen Masters have a future? 
Tennis: the little-known truths about the offseason, between rest, stress and physical survival 
What if tennis lost its soul? The case of robotized officiating, between tradition and a dehumanized modernity 
Features - Saudi Arabia, injuries, war, and business: the fascinating underbelly of tennis revealed by TennisTemple 