Spain's Rafael Nadal has been chosen by fellow players as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award in this year's ATP Awards. The world no. 2 wins this honour for a third straight year and fourth time overall (2010, 2018-2020) for his fair play, professionalism and integrity on and off the court.
“It means a lot for me to have this trophy one more time, the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award. I’m going to put this trophy next to the other ones in a very special place here,” said Nadal, speaking from the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar's museum in Manacor.
“Thank you very much to all my colleagues on Tour for thinking that I am the right one to receive this sportsmanship award. When someone asks me how I want to be remembered, I always answer, ‘I want to be remembered [as] a good person more than a good tennis player.’ That’s why this trophy means a lot.”
The Spaniard has won an ATP Award in each of the player-voted categories: Newcomer (2003), Most Improved (2005), Comeback (2013) and Sportsmanship (2010, 2018-2019). He was also named Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year in 2011.
Over the course of 2020 Nadal claimed a historic 13th Roland Garros crown, bringing his Grand Slam haul to 20 major titles. He also won the Mexican open in Acapulco and led Spain to the final in the inaugural ATP Cup held in Australia at the start of the year.
