Top four award categories and winners in ATP World Tour Awards this season
The Association of tennis professionals (ATP) each year acknowledges the talent of young and old players on the tour as another step to promote tennis all around the world by giving different categories of awards to the deserving contenders. This year the
prestigious event was held in November just a day prior to the season finale Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
Bettor.com, therefore, takes a look at the top four award categories and their winners with reference to their overall performance in 2010.
1. Award category; ATP World Tour number one player
Winner; Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal finished the season as ATP World tour number one player on the very first occasion in his career. The professional tennis ace from Spain captured seven crowns in 2010, including three major titles in a row at Roland Garros, Wimbledon as well
as the United States Open back in the city of New York.
At just 24, the left hander also registered his name as the youngest player in the Open Era and seventh man overall to successfully complete a career Grand Slam with his maiden crown in New York. Moreover, the Manacor born also became the first man to capture
three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay court crowns in a single season, winning titles in Madrid, Rome and Monte Carlo.
The Spaniard superstar is the all-time leader with a total of eighteen ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns under his belt. He finishes the season with a win loss mark of 67-9. It is the fourth occasion that Nadal has finished the year with at least sixty
five match victories.
2. Award Category; ATP World Tour number one Doubles Team
Winner; Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan
The 32-year-old American duo finished as ATP World Tour Doubles number one team on the sixth occasion in eight years. They compiled a final mark of 11-0 in 2010. Their season highlights include title victories in Australian Open, United States Open, Rome,
Toronto, Madrid and Cincinnati.
3. Award Category; Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award
Winner; Rafael Nadal
The winner for this category of award is selected by the fellow players on the tour. Therefore, majority of the active contenders voted the Spaniard as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award on the very first occasion, snapping Roger Federer’s
winning streak of six in a row.
4. Award Category; Most Improved Player of the Year
Winner; Andrey Golubev
The 23-year-old tennis ace from Kazakhstan improved his ATP singles ranking from number 133 last year to a career high of number thirty three back in October this season, highlighted by a personal high twenty four match victories on the tour. The right hander
won his first career ATP World Tour crown in Hamburg without even missing a single set. He got the better of world number six Nikolay Davydenko and thus posted his first top ten win on his way to the final. In the title battle, Andrey thrashed out Jurgen Melzer
of Austria in straight sets. Moreover, the Kazakhstani also reached the final at the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, beating the top ranked Swede Robin Soderling and then number eleven David Ferrer on his way.
5. Award Category; Newcomer of the Year
Winner; Tobias Kamke
The professional tennis player from Germany, Tobias Kamke, made one of the biggest jumps in 2010 as he cracked into the top seventy five, from number 254 last year to number sixty seven in 2010. The 24-year-old also complied a stunning 35-16 Challenger mark
with two crowns.
The German also posted his best Grand Slam result this season by reaching the third round at Wimbledon. He won a total of seven clashes on the ATP World Tour in 2010. Prior to this season, the right hander never triumphed in a main draw clash on the tour.
Kamke is the third player from Germany to win this award since 2004.
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