Fans filled Prague’s O2 Arena on Sept. 18 and 19 as the Davis Cup returned to the venue after 13 years, bringing Czech supporters and international visitors together.
The Czech Republic faced the United States in the second round of Davis Cup Qualifiers, with a place in the Final 8 at stake. Czechia won the tie 3-2 after five matches across two days and advanced to the final tournament in Bologna, Italy.
For longtime Czech tennis fans, the return also revived memories of Czechia’s back-to-back Davis Cup titles in 2012 and 2013. Two Prague residents who attended both days showed their support by wearing Czech colors and 2012 championship shirts.
“We are the most energetic tennis fans, you are lucky to have found us,” one said. “Look, I have a Davis Cup 2012 shirt, when the Czech Republic won! It has Tomáš Berdych’s face and his signature on the back, he is the captain now.”
Home pride was also impossible to miss in the arena, with Czech flags filling the stands as more than 13,000 fans followed the matches with drums, air horns and chants. Noise grew during long rallies and important points, especially as the Czech team fought back from a 2-1 deficit following Saturday’s doubles match.
Jakub Menšík defeated this year’s US Open finalist Ben Shelton 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, before Jiří Lehečka beat Learner Tien in two sets to complete the Czech comeback.
For American supporters, the Prague Davis Cup offered a different experience. A New Yorker visiting Prague on holiday found himself surrounded by a largely Czech crowd, with the chants becoming a key part of his experience even when they were unfamiliar at first.
“The Czech crowd is very loud. When they started cheering, we thought that they were saying “let’s go” but then we listened closer and learned that they were actually saying ‘Česko,’ so it was quite confusing at the beginning,” the American visitor said. “In the end, the better team won and the home support must have also been very motivating for them.”
