The Golden Canary has a new owner: Jakub Mensik wins Czech tennis player of the year as he becomes first male winner in 15 years

For the first time in his career, Jakub Mensik has been named as best Czech tennis player of the year after winning a poll, ending a dominant run by the women on tour as he lifts the Golden Canary.

The 20-year-old has burst onto the scene as one of the brightest youngsters on the ATP Circuit. He has been touted by many to challenge for the biggest prizes in tennis. This has not just been whispered, but proved on the court with deep runs and a famous Masters 1000 title. It has seen him climb the rankings all the way up to a high of world number 16, climaxing as the world number 19 in what has been a terrific campaign.

His achievements throughout have been recognised with him being labelled as Czech Republic's best tennis player. It is an impressive feat when you see the competition he is up against. From the likes of Jiri Lehecka and Tomas Mahac on the ATP Tour to a whole host of big names on the WTA, ranging from Barbora Krejcikova, Marketa Vondrousiva, Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova to name a few.

Mensik had previously made it into the top 50 in the world, and was looking to push on. A brace of quarter-finals ahead of the Australian Open was a solid foundation to build upon, and a win over three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud in the second round was a brilliant result. He could not go any further, losing out to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

A couple of early exits in events would lead to the Miami Open, where Mensik surprised everyone by going on a run which would lead in unexpected glory. Despite being ranked outside the top 50, he knocked out big names such as Jack Draper, Arthur Fils and Taylor Fritz ahead of a showdown against 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the final. The match would culminate with a brace of tiebreakers, in which Mensik won both of them. This earned him the Miami Open title, his maiden ATP title.

His presence was firmly on the map now, and he used it to goof advantage. In the nest Mastera 1000 tournament, Mensik found himself a set to the good against Francisco Cerundolo in the Madrid Open. It was a close battle but Mensik eventually succumbed to defeat. A huge upset occurred at Roland Garros. After going two sets ahead in commanding fashion, he was pegged back and defeated by qualifier Henrique Rocha.

An uninspiring grass swing led the tennis circuit back to North America. Mensik was unable to find that positive form he once enjoyed, suffering a number of early exits. He very briefly became the youngest player to feature at the Laver Cup before Joao Fonseca took the spotlight from him immediately. His season would end in disappointment as he and his nation were knocked out to Spain in the Davis Cup Finals quarter-final.

Czech tennis in recent years has been all about the women. The last time a man won the prestigious award was all the way back in 2010 when former Grand Slam finalist Tomas Berdych claimed the award.

Petra Kvitova would be rewarded for her Grand Slam triumphs with the award in 2011 and 2014. She would also win it for a third time in 2020. The Davis Cup and Fed Cup team would take a lot of the plaudits around this time. In 2017, Karolina Pliskova became the first Czech number one in singles, deservingly earning her the award. Doubles player Barbora Strycova clinched honours in 2019. A fantastic year for Krejcikova which saw her win major single and doubles titles comprehensively saw the award come her way, but her doubles teammate, Katerina Siniakova, would take the credit a year later. A brace of Wimbledon titles would be the main reason why Vondrousova and Krejcikova got their hands on the trophy in recent times, but finally the streak of WTA talents is over as Czech Republic spawn another superstar in the making.