Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray were among the big winners as the recipients of the 2019 ATP Awards were announced on Thursday. World number one Nadal was already certain to be the Player of the Year, having ended the season on top of the rankings.
But he also collected the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, voted for by his fellow players, for the second straight year. Nadal won the French Open and US Open, beating Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev respectively, to take his career tally to 19 majors.
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There were no surprises as Murray was named the Comeback Player of the Year less than 12 months after he announced plans for retirement. Murray was set to quit before undergoing hip resurfacing surgery, after which he starred on the doubles circuit, winning the Queen's Club Championships alongside Feliciano Lopez before playing with Serena Williams at Wimbledon.
The Briton then won the European Open in October, his first singles crown on the ATP Tour in 31 months. Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner, the 18-year-old who ended the 2018 season ranked 763rd, was the Newcomer of the Year after his Next Gen ATP Finals success.
Fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini, who reached the US Open semifinals and is now the world number eight, claimed the Most Improved Player of the Year honours. Medvedev's stunning second half of the season did not go unnoticed, with coach Gilles Cervara the ATP Coach of the Year. The Russian played nine finals, winning four, in 2019. Yet popular stars Roger Federer and Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were not forgotten, collecting the Fans' Favourite awards.
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