Lukas Rosol: Not sure if Nadal can win Aus Open, every round he wins will be great

Best known for his stunning victory over Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon 2012, Lukas Rosol reflects on the legend’s comeback in 2024, while also looking back on his own career and the next generation of Czech players.

File photo | Lukas Rosol of Czech Republic during the 2022 Wimbledon Championship | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Lukas Rosol is a former top-30 player in the ATP Rankings. He was a member of the Czechia team that won the Davis Cup titles in 2012 and 2013 although he did not feature in either summit clash. He also went on to win two titles on the ATP Tour.

But perhaps, the biggest moment of Rosol’s career came during Wimbledon 2012 when he stunned two-time champion Rafael Nadal in five sets in the second round.

Now, at the age of 38 and ranked 881 in the world, Rosol is close to the end of his career.

In a virtual interaction with  Sportstar on the sidelines of the fifth season of the Tennis Premier League, the 6’4” Czech player spoke about the next generation of men’s tennis from his country, Nadal’s much-awaited comeback in 2024 and more.

You’re someone who has played tennis at the highest level but in recent years it’s been a bit tough for you to play consistently and make it to the main draws of the Slams. Being on the wrong side of 30, how tough is it for you to motivate yourself to keep pushing? Do you have a goal that you want to achieve before retiring?

It’s very simple. As I have been playing for so long already (21 seasons), you just have to love tennis. I’m not doing it for money. I’m not doing it to show somebody that I will win against this guy or that guy or to win a tournament. If I win a match, it’s for me. It’s just a great feeling and these endorphins which you get from winning the match, you cannot buy or get somewhere. But, I think next year, I won’t play much because I have a little son now. I would like to stay with him a lot and enjoy family time a little bit. Yes, it’s time to say goodbye slowly. I haven’t decided yet which date it will be but the new players are so strong and so fast. It’s tough to play them.

What are your thoughts on the next generation of men’s tennis in Czechia with the likes of Jiri Lehecka, Tomas Machac and Jakub Mensik?

After guys like (Tomas) Berdych and (Radek) Stepanek, there was a gap for a couple of years and I was sceptical. There were no players and if there were, they were around 300-400 rank. But they started to work on themselves. Lehecka, Machac and some of these young prospects are starting to play better and better. Their rank has started to improve. Lehecka is around 30 but top 20 is another step which he has to make. Machac, hopefully, is going to be in the top 100 longer than he has been so far. Mensik has a future. He has a good body and serves very well. We also have more top women’s players than men. There are always atleast 7-8 Czech women in the top 100. (Petra) Kvitova and (Karolina) Pliskova are slowly finishing their careers but there are a couple of new players like (Linda) Noskova. She was in the final in Auckland and is also good.

What do tournaments like Tennis Premier League and other leagues that take place at the end of the season mean in the current tennis ecosystem?

As many kids come to watch the sport, it is going to be more famous. It’s not a bad idea to do this because if 300-400 kids come from schools everyday, they will start to like it. And even if five kids everyday start to play tennis, it’s amazing. This is a great opportunity for them to start building something. Even if maybe two-three players come through, they will learn at a really good level and India will have new stars.

2012 was a great year for you since you won the Davis Cup and also, famously beat Rafael Nadal in the second round at Wimbledon. Can you share some memories from that match?

I won the first round against (Ivan) Dodig and then, I played Rafa in the second round. I was nervous and scared because it was my first time on Centre Court. It’s like the best place where you can play. I asked the organisers if I could watch it a little bit. Before me, (Ivo) Karlovic and (Andy) Murray were playing. I said, “Please, at least 3-4 games. I would like to watch the atmosphere and everything” because some of the players come in and they cannot even move and breathe because they are so nervous. They let me go. I was watching the spectators almost all the time and did not even pay attention to the game.

At the beginning of the match, my only focus was to not lose 6-0, 6-1, 6-0 because then it’s gonna be a disaster, you know? I was focusing on one thing — to hold serve in the first three games and then, it’s going to be okay. You’re not going to lose badly. I was more relaxed after it. After I lost the first set 6-7, 30-40 percent of the spectators left. I said, “Okay, this is the challenge for me. I like it. I think I would like to call them back, you know?” Then, I won the second and third sets and already, the stadium was full.

File | Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after defeating him during their Gentlemen’s Singles second round match on day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 28, 2012 in London, England | Photo Credit: Clive Rose

Considering Nadal’s return from injury in 2024, how tough is it for a professional tennis player to comeback at this stage, late 30s, in his career?

2024 is going to be tough for Rafa. He already said it’s going to be his last year. He is playing because of the Olympics, right? And he probably wants to try the French Open. As you get older, it’s going to be tough to start again after a break due to injury because you don’t know how your body’s going to react. It is better if the train is going. If you stop the train, the train is going to start again so slowly. He’s practising and already preparing. I saw some videos from Mallorca, his base, and he’s hitting the ball really hard. I’m not sure if he can win the Australian Open. I think every round that he’s going to win is going to be great for him.

Nick Kyrgios recently said that the current batch of players plays faster and they can beat the older generation. Boris Becker replied to this on X and said Kyrgios does not have any credibility because he hasn’t won a major title. What are your thoughts on this argument?

Well, tennis is really fast now. You can see (Carlos) Alcaraz — how is he running, what is he catching and from which angles is he playing? To compare the era when I was playing 10 years ago and now — everybody can now serve at 220kmh. Everybody is hitting the forehands so fast. Before, let’s say, my rank was 30 and my opponent was 80. I would think, “This game, I will go only serve-and-volley. This game, I will play only crosscourt.” I wanted to practise and still I won the game. The gap was bigger. Now, in a match between a top-50 player and a top-100, 150 or 200 player, there is a gap of two, three points in every set, which is so small. The Challengers and the ATP250s are pretty even now. Before, the game was so slow. You can see on the videos. Even my coach, he was just playing rallies as they had so much time. Now, there is no chance as the rally will be finished thrice in that time.