It’s awards season for the great and good on the men’s tennis tour and Carlos Alcaraz has bagged a nomination in a category that is notable for the non-inclusion of world No 2 Jannik Sinner.
The Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, which recognises fair play, professionalism and integrity on and off the court was dominated by Roger Federer during his career at the top of the game.
Federer won the title on 13 occasions between 2004 and 2017 and the only year he didn’t pick up the award during that run was when his big rival Rafael Nadal was crowned as the winner in 2010.
Now Alcaraz is in the mix to win the title for a second year after he picked up the award for the first time in 2023.
The always popular Grigor Dimitrov won the award last year and the Bulgarian is back in the mix to claim the prize again, as he is on the list of nominees alongside Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud.
More Tennis News
Jannik Sinner takes over from Carlos Alcaraz as world No 1 in updated alternative tennis rankings
Carlos Alcaraz responds to former world No 1’s Jannik Sinner ‘obsession’ comment
Sinner’s absence from the list of nominees last year was understandable after he failed a doping test at Indian Wells after a performance-enhancing anabolic steroid was found in his sample at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters.
He served the suspension for that rule break between February and May of this year and that may explain why he has again been left off the list for the sportsmanship award.
Famously, Novak Djokovic was never handed this award during his long and successful career at the top of the game and he was also a notable absentee on the list of winners of the ATP Fans’ Favourite award, which was dominated by Federer and Nadal wins and has been claimed by Sinner over the last couple of years.
The ATP have also announced their nominations for the Breakthrough of the Year category, which goes to the player who made the biggest breakthrough this season.
Jack Draper gets a nomination after his win at the Indian Wells Masters and a break into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings, Brazil’s Joao Fonseca is also nominated after some impressive performances, while Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik and shock Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot are also nominated.
Sinner is represented in the Coach of the Year category, with his team of Darren Cahill & Simone Vagnozzi on a list of nominees that include Vacherot’s coach Benjamin Balleret, Alcaraz’s coaching team of Juan Carlos Ferrero & Samuel Lopez, Felix Auger-Aliassime’s coach Frederic Fontang and Bryan Shelton, coach and father of top ten star Ben.
ATP Awards winners, including Fans’ Favourite, will be revealed during Awards week, starting 8 December.