'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2022 ATP awards have finally been announced, with winners of important categories like Most Improved Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Coach of the Year revealed to the public.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Casper Ruud and others were in the running for various awards this year, which also included the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, Comeback Player of the Year and others. Voted by fellow players for the most part, the ATP awards try to reward players for their performances throughout the calendar year.
Without further ado, here is the complete list of the winners of the 2022 ATP Awards:
ATP Fans' Favorite Award: Rafael Nadal
After 19 continuous years of Roger Federer taking home the Fans' Favorite Award, his close friend Rafael Nadal finally took home the honor in 2022, his first time winning the award after an overwhelming number of online votes from fans in his favor.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion became the fourth different player to be awarded as the fans' favorite, following in the footsteps of Gustavo Kuerten, Marat Safin and Federer. With the win, Nadal has now been bestowed upon with every ATP award in the player category, the only man to achieve such a feat.
ATP Newcomer of the Year: Holger Rune
19-year-old Holger Rune was honored with the 2022 Newcomer of the Year award, the reward for a brilliant campaign that saw him win his maiden Masters 1000 title and finish at World No. 11 after winning three tour titles across the season.
Taking on defending champion Novak Djokovic in the final of the Paris Masters, the Dane scored a brilliant comeback to upset the 21-time Grand Slam champion. Rune beat out competition from the likes of Jack Draper, Jiri Lehecka, Ben Shelton and Chun-Hsin Tseng to take home the honor.
ATP Comeback Player of the Year: Borna Coric
Borna Coric, who recovered from a shoulder injury to make a stunning comeback in 2022 that saw him win the Cincinnati Open, was awarded the Comeback Player of the Year honor. Starting the year outside the Top-250, Coric finished the year at a staggering World No. 26.
Ranked No. 152 in the world rankings at the time, Borna Coric took out five seeded players, including the likes of Rafael Nadal, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas, in Cincinnati to win his maiden Masters 1000 title. Nominated alongside the Croat in the category were Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka and Wu Yibing.
ATP Most Improved Player of the Year: Carlos Alcaraz
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was honored with the 2022 Most Improved Player of the Year for his exploits this season, one that saw him win five titles, including a Grand Slam, and reign supreme as the youngest-ever ATP No. 1 in history.
After winning the Rio Open, the Miami Open, the Barcelona Open and the Madrid Open, Alcaraz won his maiden Major at the US Open, defeating Casper Ruud in the final.
The Spaniard also became the first non-Big-4 player since Andy Roddick to finish the year as the top-ranked ATP player, a tall order considering he started the year outside the Top-30. To win the Most Improved Player Award, the teenager had to withstand competition from Jack Draper, Holger Rune and Maxime Cressy.
Coach of the Year: Juan Carlos Ferrero
For leading his ward Carlos Alcaraz to the top of the ATP rankings, Juan Carlos Ferrero was presented with the honor of 2022's Coach of the Year. Ferrero's fellow coaches voted on the award, one the Spaniard was happy to win after all the hard work he had put in over the year.
"This year has been an amazing year," Ferrero said upon receiving the honor. "Gladly, all the hard work has been rewarded with results and now with this amazing prize. I’m extremely happy to win the ATP Coach of the Year award. Thank you all of you for the support."
Fans' Favorite Doubles Team of the Year: Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis
While Rafael Nadal was the Fans' Favorites in the singles list, the all-Australian duo of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis were voted by fans to win the Doubles Team of the Year award.
After winning the Australian Open, the pair scored a title run at the Atlanta Open and qualified for the year-end ATP Finals, their maiden appearance at the tournament.
Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award: Andy Murray
The 2022 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award, meanwhile, went to Andy Murray, who was recognized for his role in helping war-relief efforts in Ukraine. Having already won the award in 2014, Murray became the fourth player to win the honor multiple times, following in the footsteps of Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.
The Brit donated his prize money since this season's Indian Wells Open to UNICEF's humanitarian response, totalling over $630,000 in funds. For his efforts, Murray earned a commendation from Jon Sparks, the Chief Executive at the UK Committee for UNICEF.
Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award: Casper Ruud
Casper Ruud was awarded the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the 2022 season, his first time winning the honor. The Norwegian's win meant Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's 18-year monopoly on the award came to an end, with one of the two having received the award every year since 2004.
2022 saw Casper Ruud finish as the runner-up at two Grand Slams, losing the French Open to Nadal and the US Open to Carlos Alcaraz. Ruud also ended up winning three ATP Tour titles this season, finishing the year as World No. 3.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
