LONDON – Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal share honours in the 2011 ATP World Tour Awards presented by Moët & Chandon, which were announced in London today on the eve of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Players will receive their awards in special, on-court ceremonies at The O2 throughout the week.
Djokovic receives the year-end ATP World Tour No. 1 award for the first time following a banner year in which he won three Grand Slam titles and a record five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles.
Federer edged out his competitors in two award categories, respectively selected by fans and ATP World Tour players. The 30-year-old Swiss extended his reign as the ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favourite presented by RICOH to a ninth straight year, and won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for a seventh time in eight years. Since 2003, Federer has now won 22 ATP World Tour Awards.
“One of the reasons why I play this wonderful sport is for my fans so I would like to thank them once again for their continued support,” said Federer. “It really is so amazing and means the world to me. It’s also gratifying to be recognised by my fellow players for exhibiting fair play on and off the court. The award is named after Stefan Edberg, one of my childhood idols, so it is even more special.”
Nadal was selected as the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for his charitable efforts with the Rafa Nadal Foundation, which provides opportunities for socially disadvantaged youth.
Americans Bob and Mike Bryan also picked up a pair of awards, ATP World Tour No. 1 Doubles Team and ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favourite presented by RICOH, for a record seventh time each.
Visit the official 2011 ATP World Tour Awards section on ATPWorldTour.com
2011 ATP WORLD TOUR AWARDS presented by Moët & Chandon
ATP World Tour No. 1 (based on South African Airways ATP Ranking)
Novak Djokovic: The 24-year-old Serbian won 10 tour-level titles, highlighted by three Grand Slam championships (Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open) and a record five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies in one season. Djokovic ascended to No. 1 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings following Wimbledon. He opened 2011 with a 41-match winning streak, just shy of John McEnroe’s record 42-0 start in 1984, and enters the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals with a 69-4 match record.
ATP World Tour No. 1 Doubles Team (based on ATP Doubles Team Ranking)
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan: The American twins clinched the year-end No. 1 team ranking for a record seventh time in nine years (2003, ’05-07, ’09-11). They claimed eight tour-level titles, including the Australian Open, Wimbledon and two ATP World Tour Masters 1000s (Monte-Carlo and Madrid), to take their team total to an Open Era record 75. They have now won at least five titles in 10 straight seasons. As individuals, they will surpass John McEnroe’s record of 270 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Rankings on 12 December.
Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award (voted by ATP players)
Roger Federer: Fellow players voted the Swiss as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the seventh time. He had won the award six straight years from 2004-09 before Rafael Nadal broke the streak last year. Nadal, Djokovic and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi were also nominated in this category.
Comeback Player of the Year (voted by ATP players)
Juan Martin del Potro: The former World No. 4 re-established himself as one of the top players on the ATP World Tour in 2011. He fell to a low of No. 485 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings this past February, after a wrist injury and surgery limited him to six matches in 2010, but climbed to No. 11 by November. The 23-year-old Argentine compiled a 48-16 match record and two ATP World Tour titles (Estoril, Delray Beach).
Newcomer Of The Year (voted by ATP players)
Milos Raonic: The 20-year-old jumped from No. 156 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings at the start of the season to No. 31 on 14 November 2011. After compiling a 4-6 match record in 2010, he went 31-19 in his first full season on the ATP World Tour. He became the first Canadian to claim a tour-level title in 16 years, winning San Jose without dropping a set (d. Verdasco), and the following week reached the final in Memphis (l. to Roddick).
Most Improved Player of the Year (voted by ATP players)
Alex Bogomolov Jr.: The 28-year-old American rose from No. 166 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings at the end of 2010 to a career-high No. 33 in November. He finished 2011 with a 27-21 match record, eclipsing the total number of matches he’d won on the ATP World Tour prior to this season (21-40 record from 2002-’10). He reached the quarter-finals or better at six tournaments, and recorded his biggest career win by defeating then-World No. 5 Andy Murray in Miami.
Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award
Rafael Nadal: The Spaniard joined Roger Federer, Carlos Moya, former South African president Nelson Mandela and Arthur Ashe as winners of the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award, recognised for his contributions through the Rafa Nadal Foundation. The Foundation, a recipient of a 2011 ATP ACES For Charity grant, offers educational programmes for socially disadvantaged youth using sport as a tool for personal and social integration. The Foundation is currently affiliated with three projects, the Vicente Ferrer Foundation in Antapur, India; the Special Olympics; and the Aldeas Infantiles SOS, a private international aid organisation which cares for children in vulnerable situations.
ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favourite, presented by RICOH (Singles)
Roger Federer: The Swiss extends his reign as the most popular player on the ATP World Tour, selected as ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favourite presented by RICOH for a record ninth consecutive year. Djokovic finished second in the voting, followed by Nadal.
ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favourite (Doubles)
Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan: The 33-year-old Bryan twins continue their dominance in this fan-voted category, winning it for a seventh straight time. They finished ahead of Michael Llodra/Nenad Zimonjic and Mahesh Bhupathi/Leander Paes in the voting.
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ABOUT THE ATP WORLD TOUR
The ATP is the governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuits – the ATP World Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 62 tournaments in 32 countries, the ATP World Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the ATP World Tour battle for prestigious titles and South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings points at Grand Slams (non ATP events), ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500 and ATP World Tour 250 events. At the end of the season only the world’s top 8 ranked men’s singles players and top 8 doubles teams, based on their performance throughout the year, will qualify to compete for the last title of the season at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Held at The O2 in London, the event will officially crown the 2011 ATP World Tour No.1 in singles and doubles. For more information, please visit www.ATPWorldTour.com
