Tomas Machac did not heed the words of Mark Twain last month.
In the midst of a banner year on court, and on the heels of standing atop the podium at the Olympic Games, the Czech was in Cincinnati for the Masters 1000 event and, during a rare bit of time off, decided to take advantage of a nearby golf course to play the sport for one of the first times in his life.
After his first few swings on the links, Machac found out quickly what Twain’s sentiments were when the famous writer and humorist described golf as “a good walk spoiled.”
“From the beginning, it was going everywhere,” Machac said about those first few strokes he attempted on the green. “I was really scared.”
Good thing his shots on the tennis court are much more precise. The 23-year-old Czech has barely put a foot wrong in Flushing Meadows during the 2024 US Open, advancing to the fourth round without dropping a set. Furthermore, after winning the first set, 7-5, in his first-round match against Fabio Fognini, Machac has dropped no more than four games in each of the eight subsequent sets.
Along with a strong game from the baseline, Machac is quickly earning a reputation for being one of the best returners on the tour. For the tournament, Machac leads all players in percentage of break points won at 68% (19-of-28) and second in percentage of return games won, only ranking behind No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner.
In the second round on Thursday, Machac dispatched No. 16 seed Sebastian Korda, the player who eventually won that Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, in just over two hours inside Louis Armstrong Stadium. Those who might have been shocked at the ease in which Machac dismissed Korda were not keeping up with Czech’s meteoric rise. Starting 2024 at No. 78 in the world, Machac reached the third round of a major for the first time at the Australian Open, defeating Frances Tiafoe in the second round for the first-ever Top 20 win. Participating in doubles in Melbourne, Machac, who had never won a doubles match at the ATP Tour level before then, teamed up with Zhang Zhizhen and made the semifinals, a run that included a win over three-time US Open champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury.
Just two months later, Machac reached his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal in Miami at the end of March and, after the tournament, entered the world’s Top 50 for the first time.
“I would say for sure pretty decent,” Machac said about his 2024 season. “I couldn’t have imagined this kind of good season because I’m playing great singles and also I have good results in doubles. The season is pretty good so far, so I’ll try to continue to push it as far as possible.”
“This year, I beat Novak [Djokovic]. I beat the best player in the world, I think the best ever. I showed myself that I have this kind of level to show it sometimes."
And push he did, especially when it came to playing against the very best of the sport. During the clay-court swing this spring, Machac made waves when he defeated then-world No. 1 and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals in Geneva. Playing in his first ATP Tour-level final after that win, Machac lost to Casper Ruud. Despite coming up short in his attempt to win his first ATP Tour title, the Czech gained a lot of belief—and an initial ranking inside the world’s Top 35—after that run.
“This year, I beat Novak. I beat the best player in the world, I think the best ever. I showed myself that I have this kind of level to show it sometimes,” said Machac, who also owns a win against Djokovic in doubles during last September’s Davis Cup round-robin stage with teammate Adam Pavlasek. “But to beat Novak twice [is] super tough. It’s something you cannot imagine, so just believe in yourself. You never know: You can lose in the first round or you can be in a quarterfinal. You have to believe in your game and see what’s going to happen.”
That belief spilled over during his most recent appearance on a clay court, as he teamed with one-time girlfriend Katerina Siniakova to win the gold medal in mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics, played on the terre battue of Roland Garros. Machac also made the medal round in men’s doubles alongside Pavlasek, but they were downed in the bronze medal match by the American pair of Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul.
“We managed to beat great players and reach the gold medal,” Machac said in an interview with the ATP Tour about the run with Siniakova in Paris. “And after the ceremony and everything, it was mind-blowing.
“'Nothing is impossible.' It's not true. Everything is possible,” Machac continued. “We just showed the world that this is possible. And I think life and everything writes the story. You don't know what is going to happen in two days, in one day. Just live life as you want to live, and just believe and work on your stuff that you want to do, and enjoy life.”
Machac is enjoying the best season of his young career, and, when he gets the chance once more, will enjoy life on the golf course despite his handicap. But there were some good signs during his time on the greens as well.
“It was going better and better,” Machac said about that golf outing. “I like the putting.”
A few more wins in New York and Machac’s already-stellar season will turn into a hole-in-one.
