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The 2022 ESPYS Awards were held in Los Angeles, with the winner being reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
The ESPY Award is a distinction granted by the American broadcast television network ABC, and formerly ESPN, to honor outstanding performances in sports during the calendar year.
The Best Athlete Women's Tennis ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) award went to Emma Raducanu. To achieve this, she overcame the likes of Ashleigh Barty, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Leylah Fernandez.
Rafael Nadal won the award for Best Athlete in Men's Tennis. The Spaniard was one of four athletes competing for the title of Best Athlete Men's Tennis, along with Dylan Alcott, Carlos Alcaraz, and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
However, the decision to declare Raducanu the winner wasn't well received by some tennis fans on Twitter. Some of them highlighted instances where Iga Swiatek, the current World No. 1, was more deserving than the Brit, while others outright criticized Raducanu for her lackluster performances this year.
Another user seemed to think that the Brit wasn't even deserving of the recognition and that none of the actual talents in women's tennis were receiving it.
"EMMA RADUCANU IS OVERRATED!! She doesn't deserve this for sure.. None of the "real" talents in the women's tennis are getting this hype," a user wrote on Twitter.
Another fan pointed out that Iga Swiatek had a better season than Raducanu but the 19-year-old Brit still won the award.
"Swiatek had a 37-winning streak, actuly surpassed Venus Williams at that and Raducanu won ? Like she barely made it past the Wimbledon Round of something. Pure bull***t," they wrote.
Here are some more reactions from tennis fans about the award:
Emma Raducanu practises in Florida ahead of her US Open title defense
Emma Raducanu suffered an early exit at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships in the second round. The British No. 1 was defeated by Caroline Garcia in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
Nevertheless, the top-10 ranked player was seen honing her preparations for the North American summer swing, which will come to a close at the US Open. Raducanu is currently receiving training at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
At the beginning of August, the 19-year-old Brit will begin her summer hardcourt season in Washington before playing in Toronto and Cincinnati. She will then participate at the US Open, where she is the defending champion.
