Berdych Challenges Ferrer: "On the court we had a great rivalry, now we start again"

Fernando Murciego | 17 Nov 2025 | 19.43

Tomas Berdych analyzes the duel against Spain in the Davis Cup. Source: Getty

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Media Day at the Davis Cup Finals with the appearance of most teams before the press. The Czech Republic with Tomas Berdych are one of the top favorites, although their match on Thursday against Spain will not be easy for either team.

With this team, one can dream big: Jiri Lehecka, Jakub Mensik, and Tomas Machac. Tomas Berdych has his work cut out in choosing who plays and who doesn't, but a welcome problem for a captain. The Czech Republic arrives in Bologna very strong with a squad loaded with top 25 players, threatening the future of Spain in the competition. They will face off on Thursday in the opening match of the day, but beforehand, it is worth hearing the Czech team's excitement at this opportunity to lift the Davis Cup, filled with confidence after a challenging journey.

Czech Republic Statements Before Facing Spain

TOMAS BERDYCH

“Everything is going very well, to be honest. The team is in a great place, everyone is playing well, luckily we still have a couple more days to prepare for what awaits us next Thursday. I am looking forward to that moment, although I admit I haven't yet decided who will play. These formats are still quite new to me, so I will wait until the last moment to make a decision. I will decide on Wednesday afternoon”.

“Everything has changed for David (Ferrer) and me, in 2012 we were running on the court, and now we are sitting on the bench. This will be the big contrast we will see. It's a good challenge, it's a match I look forward to, for me, this adventure started at the beginning of this season. It has been a great year, Jiri won all his singles, Jakub secured the tie against the United States, so I am proud of the work we have been doing. Now we must face the toughest team among the eight, probably, so it will be a great challenge for us. It will be good to have a new rivalry with David, in our career, we are tied 8-8 head-to-head, so it's a fresh start now”.

“The fact that we are all here sitting speaks volumes about the positivity of this team. I believe all the guys are hungry to win the trophy, this is the most important thing and why we are here. I am very fortunate that they have that feeling about the competition; I highly value their ongoing availability for the team, for the captain, this is the best way to have a strong team, to have more chances of winning. I have a lot of faith in this team; they have the opportunity to win the trophy thanks to the determination they possess”.

JIRI LEHECKA

“The Davis Cup is always a special tournament, it always has been. From the first moment I played back in 2019, I felt this competition was different. You are not just playing for yourself but for the whole team. Ultimately, you are representing an entire country, and this always made me feel particularly good. The team spirit also makes it different; you have fun in the locker room, travel with many people, these are weeks we all look forward to eagerly”.

The Czech Davis Cup team at the Media Day in Bologna. Source: Getty

“We'll see if I end up playing, we all know that there is currently no greater challenge than facing Jannik or Carlos. These young guys are having a great season, producing spectacular tennis wherever they go. We'll see; this year I felt very good in all my Davis Cup matches, so I'll do my best to prepare in case I play. I don't need to analyze how Carlos is playing; we all see his level, so we'll see how the draw turns out”.

“The surface is a bit fast, compared to the last tie we played against the United States in Florida, it is completely different. There we played outdoors with high humidity, a much slower surface. Here, we have encountered something totally opposite, that's my perspective”.

JAKUB MENSIK

“The whole team did very well in the last tie against the United States; it was a tough matchup, for sure. Winning against them gives us a lot of confidence for this Final8 and our upcoming challenge. For me personally, playing both singles and doubles was a maximum challenge; those three matches were very tough for me. I am very glad that against Francis (Tiafoe), in the decisive match, it went my way. Surely, all these memories will bring us confidence to face Spain”.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Berdych reta a Ferrer: “En la pista tuvimos una gran rivalidad, ahora volvemos a empezar”