Djokovic celebrates after ending year as world no.1
Novak Djokovic has been labelled “the disruptor” after once again being snubbed for an illustrious ATP award. The Serbian ace has been in scintillating form this season and became the most successful men’s player in history after winning the Australian Open, French Open and US Open.
Djokovic’s fine run throughout 2023 means he has now moved ahead of Rafael Nadal at the top of the Grand Slam title standings after getting his hands on 24 Major trophies. But his displays on the court were not enough for him to be considered for the Stefan Edberg sportsmanship award.
The award is determined by the International Tennis Writers’ Association and is given to “the player who, throughout the year, conducted himself at the highest level of professionalism and integrity, who competed with his fellow players with the utmost spirit of fairness and who promoted the game through his off-court activities.”
Between 2004 and 2021, Roger Federer and Nadal were the only two players to win the sportsmanship award, with the Swiss ace winning it 13 times and the Spanish star getting his hands on it on five occasions. And this year’s shortlist consists of Carlos Alcaraz, Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz and Jannik Sinner.
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Djokovic could also miss out on the Fans’ Favourite award after being overlooked last year. Federer won the award 19 years in a row between 2003 and 2021, with Nadal selected as the winner last time around despite being injured for much of the season. Fans can cast their votes from the start of December, with the winner of all categories announced during the week of December 11.
Djokovic has struggled to capture the imagination of tennis fans to the same extent as Federer and Nadal, and has been booed on the court during some tournaments this year. And former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli has tried to make sense of Djokovic’s lack of appeal among some followers of the sport.
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“I just feel that Novak raises himself and is even stronger when he is against adversity. He likes to play and compete against it”, Bartoli told Tennis365. “I think people just got used so much to two players facing each other. If you look at the history of tennis it was [Bjorn] Borg against [John] McEnroe, it was [Pete] Sampras against [Andre] Agassi and it was Roger against Nadal. You are not used to having a third one.
“The third one feels like the disruptor. You want to cheer for one or the other. You say, ‘I was to cheer for Roger’ or ‘I want to cheer for Rafa’. You don’t want the third one that comes in and wins everything.
“It was more the timing than anything else. When you talk to all the players and the fans around the world, people like Novak’s personality and they have so much respect for his game. If Novak had played just one other player, I think he would have had a much bigger fan base. So I think he has gained the respect from everyone but, in terms of the love, this is slightly different. It’s just human nature to cheer for one or the other and you don’t want the third one.”
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