Inside the rise of Tomas Machac | ATP Tour

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Inside the rise of Tomas Machac

Exclusive insight from Machac and coach Daniel Vacek

January 02, 2025

Tomas Machac began his 2024 season as the No. 78 player in the PIF ATP Rankings. Twelve months later, he has become one of the most dangerous competitors on the ATP Tour.

The Czech is up to a career-high World No. 25 and on the rise, even if he did not necessarily expect such a rapid ascent.

“I think I would say I would be a little bit surprised, to be 25 in the world and to have this kind of season,” Machac told ATPTour.com. “I’m not forgetting that I won a gold medal in [mixed doubles at] the Olympic Games. So the season was unbelievable for me, really.”

Based on his performance so far at the United Cup, where the Czech tested Casper Ruud for nearly three hours and then defeated Hubert Hurkacz in three sets, Machac has no plans to slow down any time soon. But while it has not been apparent in his tennis, the 24-year-old had a preseason he said “wasn’t that good”.

The plan was to spend five or six weeks in his preseason preparing for 2025. After two weeks of training, he fell ill and did not know what was wrong. The Czech was prescribed antibiotics, but was completely out of training for 14 days. Plans needed to change.

Machac brought his fitness coach to Sydney and has been doing “a little bit more than I wanted to” during this opening event of the season to ensure he is adequately prepared for the tournaments to come.

“I was [doing] two tennis practices, and then one fitness, and then I was doing fitness, running, tennis, tennis. So I was a little bit [tired], yeah, but otherwise, I would not finish the match with Casper if I didn’t do that, because I would not be really prepared,” Machac said. “You have to play with the cards you have on the table. That’s why I’m really happy with the performance and with the results that I achieved here, and that’s why I was so pumped up in the third set [against Hurkacz], because I realised that I am doing incredible things with my body and with the win I was in heaven.

“I’m standing here, I won one match and was close with Casper. So I’m really happy that I managed to find my health and my body is struggling, but now it’s getting better and better. So I’m really happy with that.”

 

A year ago Machac needed to qualify at the ATP 250 event in Brisbane to begin his season and did not own a win against a Top 10 opponent. But this is a new and improved player, and not just because of physical development, according to his coach and Czechia captain Daniel Vacek.

“The most improved [part of his game] is that he believes in himself, much more than he did in the past,” Vacek told ATPTour.com.

Earning four Top 10 victories in a season will certainly help with that. Players he defeated in 2024 include Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray (twice) and Stan Wawrinka.

“I think the season was unbelievable for me to show myself that I can play against the best players and I can win those matches,” Machac said.

One triumph in particular stands out. At the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Machac advanced to his second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final. Across the net was Alcaraz, fresh off a thrilling win against Jannik Sinner in the Beijing final. Undeterred, Machac produced arguably the best performance of his career to upset the Spaniard 7-6(5), 7-5.

“I feel like I was playing against a Top-5 player, not even Top 10. Top 5, his level, it was so high,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference. “I thought that he was going to give me an opportunity, a window, but he didn’t.”

 

Machac said of the match: “He was playing his best tennis, and even he said that he was playing great and I managed to beat him in straight sets. So that match showed me that I can really be a great player, but I need to focus on my tennis and trying to be healthy as much as possible.”

While not yet an ATP Tour titlist, Machac has proven he is able to rise to the occasion on the world’s biggest stages and against the toughest opposition.

“I like the [big] tournaments, and I like to play against the best players,” Machac said. “For me, it’s great practice to push me up and up.”

Vacek explained how big of an advantage that mentality is.

“He really loves to play on the centre courts, on the big courts with a lot of people against the top guys. He really enjoys the top guys, the top events and even Davis Cup or the team competitions, he really looks forward to [them],” Vacek said. “He thrives on it. He’s really looking forward to it and I think he does everything so he gets there again.”

In terms of tennis, Vacek, the former World No. 26 in singles and No. 3 in doubles, added that Machac has improved his fitness, speed and agility. The coach said: “Everybody knows that he’s extremely talented so when he puts all these things together, he’s very dangerous.”

But it is not a particular weapon that has stood out, according to Machac.

“I think I can play everything. I actually am great on my serve. So in case I’m not serving well, I can be strong even on the baseline. Really, really strong,” Machac said. “I can do everything that I want to do on the court, and it also depends on the situation. So this is, I think, my strength — that I don’t have so many weak sides.”

Machac will hope to show that Friday evening when he leads Czechia against Italy in the United Cup quarter-finals. In men’s singles, he will take on Flavio Cobolli, marking their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

“I’m really happy with my physical stuff, even [though] it’s not 100 per cent and I didn’t play the best tennis, I managed to find my rhythm,” Machac said. “I’m really pleased with the start of the year.”