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The Winners

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, arguably the greatest rivalry in tennis history, waged a fierce battle in the 2010 ATP World Tour Awards, sharing honors in two awards they hotly contested. The awards were announced today in London, one day ahead of the start of the ATP World Tour Finals.

Nadal, who had already locked up the No. 1 award after an incredible season in which he won three Grand Slam titles, beat out Federer for the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award, as voted by his fellow players. Federer had won the award the past six years. But Federer edged Nadal in a fans-voted category which he has always held in high esteem, the Fans' Favorite Singles Player.

American twins and defending World Tour Doubles Champions, Bob and Mike Bryan, who were honored for finishing ATP World Tour No. 1 Doubles Team for a record sixth time in eight years, also again won the Fans' Favorite Doubles Team for the sixth straight year with 44 per cent of votes. Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic got 14 per cent of votes, with Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan third with 12 per cent.


2010 ATP WORLD TOUR AWARDS

ATP World Tour No. 1

Rafael Nadal : The Spaniard won seven titles, including three Grand Slam crowns in a row (Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open). At 24 years, 3 months, he became the youngest man in the Open Era and seventh man overall to complete a career Grand Slam with his first title in Flushing Meadows. He also became the first player to win three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay court titles (Monte-Carlo, Rome, Madrid) in the same season. He is the all-time leader with 18 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles.
ATP World Tour No. 1 Doubles Team

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan: The American twins finished as ATP World Tour Doubles No. 1 for a record sixth time in eight years (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010), compiling an 11-0 finals record. Their titles included the Australian Open, US Open and four ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles (Rome, Madrid, Toronto, Cincinnati) and Delray Beach, Houston, Los Angeles, Beijing, and Basel. They have won at least five titles in nine straight seasons. The Bryans broke Aussie Hall of Famers Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde's team record of 61 titles by winning in Los Angeles on Aug. 1. They have a record of 67 career doubles championships and their match record is 65-11 on the year.

Fans' Favorite Singles Player

Roger Federer: The Swiss, who is admired for his work on and off the court, continues to be a fan favorite by millions of fans around the world, who have voted him as Fans' Favourite for a record eighth consecutive year. Federer received 47% percent of all votes, followed by Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Fans' Favorite Doubles Team

Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan: Twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan were voted the most popular doubles team on the ATP World Tour for a record sixth straight year - - - every year that the award has been given. The Bryans received 44 per cent of votes to finish ahead of Nestor-Zimonjic (14%) and Bopanna-Qureshi (12%). The Bros. also set a record by winning their 600th match together at Delray Beach in March and they are now at 656 wins, with a record 67 titles. They have been #1 in the world for 217 weeks. They have a Career Grand Slam in Doubles, having won Wimbledon, the French Open, the US Open 3 times and the Australian Open 4 times. To have a good laugh and see their short London Video Blog click:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Media/Videos/2010/11-Finals/Bryans-Vblog1.aspx

Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award

Rafael Nadal: Fellow players voted the Mallorca resident as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the first time, breaking Roger Federer's mark of six in a row.


Most Improved Player of the Year

Andrey Golubev: The 23-year-old from Kazakhstan climbed from No. 133 in 2009 to a career-high No. 33 on Oct. 4, highlighted by a personal-high 24 match wins. He captured his first career ATP World Tour title in Hamburg without dropping a set. He defeated World No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko for his first Top 10 win along the way before beating Austrian Jurgen Melzer in the final.


Newcomer of the Year

Tobias Kamke: The 24-year-old German made one of the biggest ranking jumps into the Top 75, from No. 254 in 2009 to No. 67. He compiled an outstanding 35-16 Challenger record and two titles. He turned in a Grand Slam-best third round showing at Wimbledon and overall won seven matches on the ATP World Tour. Prior to 2010 he never won a main draw match on tour. He is the third German to earn this award since 2004.


Comeback Player of the Year

Robin Haase: The 23-year-old Dutchman made a ranking jump of 392 positions from 2009, climbing from No. 451 to a season-best No. 59. He won nine ATP World Tour level matches, highlighted by a quarter-final showing in Basel. He also was 32-8 in Challenger level play with five titles. He underwent right knee surgery in July 2008 and again in May 2009.


Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year

Rohan Bopanna and Aisam Ul-Haq Quresi: The "Indo-Pak Express" are goodwill ambassadors on and off the court. They are seeking to build a bridge of friendship between their respective countries with their motto 'Stop War, Start Tennis'. Qureshi was recently named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.

Excerpted from the ATP Tour Web Site.
 
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