Jiri Lehecka‘s having a year! He already snagged an ATP title in Brisbane last month and then made a solid run to the fourth round of the Australian Open before running into Novak Djokovic. He had a bit of a hiccup in Rotterdam, but he’s totally back on track at the Qatar Open, making it to the quarterfinals! His form is incredible, and you have to give a lot of credit to his coach, Michal Navratil, too.

Till last season, Lehecka’s team composed of a different person. Former ATP pro and compatriot Tomas Berdych was his main coach for 18 months. He joined Lehecka back in 2023 during the Monte-Carlo Masters. Under his tutelage, Lehecka went on to win his maiden tour-level title in Adelaide in early 2024. However, in September 2024, following a mutual agreement, the youngster parted ways with Berdych.

After splitting with Berdych, Lehecka joined forces with another compatriot in Michal Navratil. The latter is the ATP pro’s current coach for the past few months now. For the uninitiated, Navratil is a former ATP player himself with career high rankings of #274 in singles and #207 in doubles. Born in 1982, he’s the son of ex-pro and Czechia’s former Davis Cup Captain Jaroslav Navrátil, who previously coached Tomas Berdych, Michal Tabara and Radek Štěpánek.

When he was younger, this left-hander trained at the National Tennis Centre in Moravia. He even made it to the boys’ doubles final at the 1999 Australian Open with Ladislav Chramosta, but they unfortunately lost in three sets to Kristian Pless and Jürgen Melzer.

He won seven Futures titles in singles as a pro, but didn’t really break through on the Challenger circuit. Doubles was a different story, though – he won three Challengers and a whopping 14 Futures titles! He even got a wildcard entry into the doubles main draw at the Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia in 2005 with Tomáš Berdych, but they had to withdraw before their match, giving a walkover to Martin García and Mariano Hood, who ended up winning the whole thing.

As per the ATP Tour’s website, Navrátil now lives in Prostějov, Czech Republic, and like his father, coaches tennis since 2009. He coached Adam Pavlasek for three years, helping him jump from No. 550 to a career-high ranking of No. 72. He also coached former world No. 1 junior Jiří Veselý, taking him from No. 300 to No. 64. And for six years, he was Tomas Berdych’s practice and traveling partner.

He has two children, Nicol and Nelly. A sports enthusiast, he enjoys various hobbies, including reading psychology books. He’s passionate about helping people, particularly tennis players, unlock their full potential and exceed their goals.

While he may have not found much success as a pro, it appears his coaching skills are doing wonders for Lehecka. On a previous occasion, the World No.25 praised Navratil while acknowledging his contribution. “They have helped me with that. Be more positive and go 100 percent, and with that, the success will come,” reported ATP’s website.

Lehecka’s already pocketed an ATP title in 2025, and now is looking solid in Doha as well. But his next challenge won’t be easy at all. After all, he’s going to face none other than former World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.

Jiri Lehecka and Carlos Alcaraz to meet once again after two years

Jiri Lehecka and Alcaraz have already met each other, but at a different event. The four-time major winner is currently leading the h2h tally 1-0. Back in 2023, the Spaniard faced the World No.25 during the Round of 16 at the Queen’s Club. In that encounter, Alcaraz didn’t take much time in wrapping up the battle 6-2, 6-3.

“It was his first ATP tournament on grass,” Lehecka recalled his past face-off with Alcaraz in an interaction with the ATP Tour website in Doha. “I had played Stuttgart before, so I felt like I was in good form. I must say that I was very surprised by his level, how extremely well adapted he was playing on grass. I (knew) that he liked to play on hard courts, definitely on clay, but grass, I felt like it could have been his worst surface. Immediately, he proved me wrong. He showed his skills, that he can bring his top game also on grass.”

But since that encounter, a lot has changed for Lehecka – in a positive way. Being a two-time tour-level winner, he’s been able to register six victories against the top 10 players in the last two years. In case he upsets Alcaraz in the QF meeting on Thursday, it won’t be the first time he has overcome a Spanish opponent!

Last year during the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid, Jiri Lehecka was able to beat none other than 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal. He ousted the King of Clay in straight sets with a score line of 7-5, 6-4. Will he be able to replicate a similar performance against Alcaraz on Thursday? Only time will tell. What’s your prediction? Let us know in the comments below.