Hopes grow for Davis Cup triumph

Is the Czech Republic's men's team capable of winning the world's most prestigious tennis team competition, the Davis Cup?

A wave of euphoria is cresting after the Czech team defeated powerhouse France 3-2 in Ostrava March 6-8. Up next are the Argentines in early July.

"If our two leading players, Tomáš Berdych and Radek Štěpánek, play like they did against France, they can beat virtually anyone," said the team's nonplaying captain, Jaroslav Navrátil.

Czechoslovakia won the Davis Cup in 1980. The team was then led by the would-be world No. 1 player Ivan Lendl, with other elite players like Tomáš Šmíd, Jan Kodeš and Pavel Složil providing strong backing.

Today, the Czechs rely on merely two players: Berdych and Štěpánek. The other team members in the game against France were doubles specialist Lukáš Dlouhý and Jan Hernych.

Still, it was just Berdych and Štěpánek who bore the full weight of the matches against France. Both of them defeated France's top player, Gilles Simon, and together won a doubles match against Michael Llodra and Richard Gasquet. Hernych lost the last singles match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but, by then, the Czechs already held an unbeatable 3-1 lead.

Navrátil admitted that the team's future fortune depends entirely on Berdych and Štěpánek. "With respect to the other team members, Berdych and Štěpanek will need to win the decisive points themselves," he said.

In the quarterfinals, the Czechs host Argentina in early July in Ostrava. Star Argentinean players Juan Martin Del Potro and David Nalbandian are expected to play.

"They've got so many strong players, and our position will be similar to the one against France. … We won't be favorites, but we'll still have a chance to succeed," Berdych said.

Nedvěd's Champions League exit

Apart from tennis, soccer has been attracting the most attention from the Czech sports community.

Two of the country's soccer icons, Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedvěd and Chelsea goalie Petr Čech, clashed in the Champions League. After a 1-0 loss in London a week prior, Nedvěd had been expected to lead Juventus in March 10's home leg against the English team. But the 37-year-old's night ended after only 13 minutes of play after a collision with opposing striker Nicolas Anelka. Suffering bruised ribs, Nedvěd had to leave the pitch - which he did in tears - and, in the end, Juventus only drew 2-2 with Chelsea and was eliminated from the competition. Nedvěd said that winning the Champions League was the last major goal of his career. He also said that this season was his last.

"I regret the results, especially in regard to Pavel," said Juventus President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli. "He deserves to qualify for further rounds."

Obama reschedules games

At home, Baník Ostrava rowdies once again lived up to their image of the country's most controversial soccer hooligans. After causing a disturbance at Gambrinus liga's first spring round in late February, they staged another raid, this time in Prague before a March 9 game against Slavia. Hundreds of Ostrava supporters boarded trains to Prague on the day of the match. En route to the capital, they demolished train stations and even injured a ticket inspector. In contrast to the game in Brno, the Slavia organizers managed to avoid violence at the stadium. For the first time in the Gambrinus liga history, all fans entering the stadium had to buy and present a ticket together with a photo ID. Ticket holders without an ID card, as well as drunk people, were uncompromisingly turned away at the gates.

Meanwhile, the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to the Czech Republic in early April will reschedule the Gambrinus liga games of Prague cross-town rivals Sparta and Slavia. Originally, Sparta had been scheduled to take on Liberec Sunday, April 5, and Slavia was to play a televised game in Olomouc the following day. Due to heavy security measures related to Obama's visit, Sparta's game was rescheduled to Monday, April 6, when the U.S. president will have left town. Slavia will instead play in Olomouc the evening of April 5.

František Bouc can be reached at
fbouc@praguepost.com