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The Czech team failed to make it into the quarter-finals at tennis’s mixed-gender United Cup in Australia. The Czechs lost 2:1 to Serbia on matches in Perth, leaving them last in their three-nation group. While Markéta Vondroušová won her match, both Jiří Lehečka and the doubles pairing of Petr Nouza and Miriam Kolodziejová lost theirs.

This year’s edition of the hard court United Cup is the second.

Czechia’s international midfielder Tomáš Souček has signed a contract extension with West Ham United until June 2027, the club announced on its website on Monday.

The 28-year-old has made 182 appearances in all competitions for West Ham since initially joining on loan from SK Slavia Prague in January 2020. He has netted 30 goals for West Ham since joining the Club, of which eight have come so far this season, including the opening finish in the 2-0 win away at Arsenal on Thursday.

Tuesday is expected to be overcast with rain or snow around the country and day temperatures between 2 and 7 degrees Celsius.

In his New Year address to the nation President Petr Pavel underlined the need for strength and unity, saying it had been a difficult year from which he hoped to see the nation emerge stronger.

The president spoke of the tragic shooting at the Faculty of Arts and the senseless loss of life, which he said had caused great sadness, but urged Czechs to overcome their fear and not be intimidated by this show of unspeakable violence. “We can improve our laws, controls and measures, but we cannot give up our freedom because of fear” the president said.

Looking back on the past year, Mr. Pavel said he appreciated the government’s unity in undertaking  unpopular measures to tackle the country's debt, but criticized it for poor communication towards the public, which he said opened the door to populism.

He urged Czechs to go to the polls in this year’s European, regional and Senate elections, saying their voting right was “a great opportunity to influence the future direction of our country and the European Union”. He warned the public against populists and extremists, who offer unrealistic, simple solutions that would only exacerbate the country’s problems.

President Pavel also devoted time to the 20th and 25th anniversaries of the country’s membership in the European Union and NATO, stressing their importance for the country’s security and economic development.

The coming year should be better than the last, Mr. Pavel said. "We expect lower inflation, real wage growth for the first time in several years, and modest economic growth. I hope it will mark a turn for the better and give us all reason for greater optimism in the years to come," the president concluded.