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By Scoop Malinowski

Radek Stepanek turned pro in 1996 and struggled for five years as a doubles journeyman until November 2001 when he approached Petr Korda asking how he could improve his game. Korda responded, “I will help you but you will listen to everything and I guarantee to you that you will be ranked in the top 70.”

Stepanek listened to Korda’s advice and inspiration. He began 2002 ranked 547 and finished at 63. That was just the beginning. Stepanek would achieve a career-high singles ranking as world No. 8 (in July 2006) and best doubles ranking of world No. 4.

Stepanek’s biggest achievements are reaching two Masters 1000 event finals and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2006, and winning the deciding match two years in a row for Czech Republic’s Davis Cup winning team in 2012 and again in 2013. Stepanek won a total of 384 career singles matches.

In doubles, Stepanek also shined, winning his first Grand Slam title at the 2012 Australian Open, along with partner Leander Paes, defeating the Bryan Brothers in the final. Paes and Step, a dynamic duo together, also won the men’s doubles title at the 2013 US Open, defeating Bruno Soares and Alexander Peya in the final. Paes, a legendary doubles champion, said last year his all time favorite partner was Stepanek. Last year in Rio, Stepenak added a bronze medal in mixed doubles (with Hradecka) to his trophy collection.

I have many vivid memories of covering Stepanek. We did a Biofile in the late 90s at the US Open locker room. He was wearing camouflage pants and said his mom was a librarian. He almost beat Novak Djokovic at the US Open in 2007, forcing the Serbian to a fifth set tiebreaker on Armstrong Stadium. Step beat world no. 1 Gustavo Kuerten at the Australian Open. Always a character on the court, he would express himself in many ways, busting dance moves, or telling Paes “I love you” to his face on the changeover chair after breaking the Bryan Brothers at Miami Open in 2012. Paes responded by grabbing and kissing Step’s forehead.

Last year on December 1, a Sunday morning I saw Stepanek practicing at IMG Academy with Christian Harrison and Pat Harrison feeding balls to each. Step and Harrison would hit alternating inside out and inside in forehands, about ten in a row. Why this stands out was that Stepanek was grunting and playing with 100% intensity, and it was only Dec. 1, still a month away from the start of the 2017 season. This illustrated what a hard worker and how serious Stepanek was.

There’s more. I tried to do a quick interview with Step after the on court workout but he said he couldn’t because he was on the way to indoor fitness training.

Talk about hard work. Not many, if any, players worked harder than Stepanek who at a few weeks short of 38 is still in top physical shape. He said today that his back issue is still a problem and it’s time to stop playing. The spirit is still there to play but the body won’t cooperate.

Still, it was a glorious career achieved by Stepanek. Five singles titles, two major doubles titles, two Davis Cups and over $11 million in prize money. Not bad for a struggling doubles specialist who was smart enough to request and listen to the wisdom of Petr Korda.

Radek Stepanek

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