U.S. falls to Czechia in 2025 Davis Cup Second Round Qualifier: 'No one gave up'

Krajicek and Ram, who claimed the 2024 Olympic silver medal in men's doubles, came out swinging against mixed doubles gold medalist Tomas Machac and late-substitution No. 17 Jakub Mensik. The match was tight from the start, with no breaks until the Czechs earned a mini-break to go up 3-2 in the tiebreak. The experienced Americans—Ram is twice Mensik's age—found their groove, and the crowd erupted in cheers when Krajicek and Ram won the first set.

A two-hour weather delay paused the match in the middle of the second set, and Czechia returned to the court with a vengeance, nabbing that set to force a third. Ultimately, after two hours and 40 minutes, the U.S. emerged victorious, defeating their less-experienced doubles counterparts 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4, and helping their country jump out to a 2-1 lead in the tie.

"That's about as good as it gets. It's really fun to play a home tie, my first one," Krajicek said. "The atmosphere was absolutely amazing tonight. I don't think I've come off the court more fired up than that in a really long time."

Captain Bob Bryan had hoped to extend the U.S. Davis Cup and Billie Jean King teams' record to 6-0 in Delray Beach en route to the Final 8, but the newly-inducted member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame was incredibly proud of the grit and tenacity his players showed, as well as their spirit and support for one another.

Bryan lauded Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul—both were originally nominated but had to pull out due to injuries—for showing up to the tie in order to cheer on their friends, as well as Reilly Opelka, who didn't take the court but was a constant presence on the bench and at practice.

"He's been practicing here since Saturday. Every day he was out there doing everything we needed of him, cheering on the sidelines, bringing the energy in the locker room," Bryan said. "Everything that Reilly brought, you don't see it, because he wasn't in the win-and-loss column, but he adds a lot to this team."

To Bryan, who has played 31 Davis Cup ties, watching Opelka, Tiafoe and Shelton celebrate Fritz' Friday night win encapsulates the importance of the team event, and what makes it so unique. 

"They have played on Junior Davis Cup teams, traveled to ITF Grand Slams, played against each other on the tour, and here they are walking shoulder to shoulder [as] the U.S. Davis Cup team," Bryan said. "That was just a special moment just to see those guys smiling, laughing together, and those guys are friends for life. I'm happy to just see their chemistry and what they will do for each other.

"We love Davis Cup weeks, our staff loves them, we had a lot of fun. We're not crying over this loss—we just tip our hat to a better team over the last two days," Bryan said. "We went out there, and everyone sweated their butt off. No one gave up. That's all you can ask for as a coach."