Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová dominated the Golden Canary poll for the first time after the season of her life. The 24-year-old native of Sokolov replaced Kateřina Siniaková on the throne and also won the award for the best player of the year. Australian Open quarterfinalist Jiří Lehečka won the award for the best tennis player of the year for the third time in a row among men.
Vondroušová triumphed on the grass courts at the All England Club as the first Czech since Petra Kvitová in 2014 and the first unseeded player in the so-called open era. She also made it to the quarterfinals of the US Open and took part in the Tournament of Champions for the first time. After starting the year ranked 91st in the world, she ended last year as the seventh player in the world and the highest-ranked Czech on the circuit.
“Thank you very much to my family, who have been with me since I was a child. They support me in an incredible way. It’s really nice to share it with them. Even if mom didn’t fly to the Wimbledon final, we experienced it together. I also have to thank my team, it wouldn’t have been possible without them . There are difficult moments that one has to overcome, and I think that in the end it’s all worth it,” said Vondroušová on the podium at the announcement.
The women succeeded in the main category for the tenth time in a row. In addition to Siniaková and Barbora Krejčíková, he won the Fed Cup selection three times in this period, Petra Kvitová triumphed twice, and Karolína Plíšková and Barbora Strýcová won once. The men’s last success was in 2013 thanks to the Davis Cup team.
Coach Jan Hernych Vondroušová collected 168 out of 175 votes in the evaluation of the Golden Canary and won with a huge lead over Lehečka and Karolína Muchová.
“It’s great to be in the company of Wimbledon winners. If someone had told me this last year, when I was coming back from injury, I wouldn’t have believed it. I have good memories of those two weeks. It was very unexpected for everyone. The way it ended, it was unbelievable,” said Vondroušová.
Roland Garros finalist and US Open semi-finalist Muchová won the award for the most advancement in the WTA rankings. She improved from 151st place to eighth place. Jakub Menšík received the award for the move in the men’s ATP rankings, who jumped from 408th to 156th place.
Eighteen-year-old Menšík and Leheček, four years older, also received the prize for the best team of the year as members of the Davis Cup team with non-playing captain Jaroslav Navrátil. The national team, which included Tomáš Macháč and Adam Pavlásek, made it to the quarterfinals for the first time in the new system of the prestigious competition.
Siniaková was declared the best doubles player of the year. Maxim Mrva became the talent of the year for the second time in a row, Laura Samsonová won among the girls. Jiří Gregor is the best wheelchair tennis player. The ČTS president’s award was won by Miroslav Máslo, the long-time director of the Pardubice junior team, and Josef Čihák, the coach and successful captain of the youth teams.
Golden Canary 2023, a survey by Tenis magazine in cooperation with the Czech Tennis Association:
Golden Canary 2023: Markéta Vondroušová (I. ČLTK Prague)
The best Czech player: Jiří Lehečka (TK Agrofert Prostějov)
The best Czech player: Markéta Vondroušová (I. ČLTK Prague)
Advancement in the ATP rankings: Jakub Menšík (TK Agrofert Prostějov)
WTA ranking progress: Karolína Muchová (I. ČLTK Prague)
Doubles Player of the Year: Kateřina Siniaková (TK Sparta Prague)
Team of the Year: Czech Davis Cup team (Jiří Lehečka, Tomáš Macháč, Jakub Menšík, Adam Pavlásek)
Talent of the Year – Boys: Maxim Mrva (TK Agrofert Prostějov)
Talent of the year – girls: Laura Samsonová (TK Sparta Prague)
Senior of the Year: Jiří Prutyszyn (I. NTC Olomouc)
Best Wheelchair Tennis Player: Jiří Gregor (Sokol Bedřichov)
Price of the President’s CTS: Miroslav Máslo and Josef Čihák
CTS President’s Award for Dedication and Loyalty to Tennis: Petr Huťka
2023-12-20 21:49:42
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