Rafael Nadal Receives Special Honor From Fellow ATP Players for 4th Consecutive Year

Rafael Nadal always makes sure he is on his best behavior on-court and that has been evident with the matches he played over the past fifteen years or so. The Spaniard is known for his perfect conduct on-court and has also been rewarded by fellow players for this.

At the 2021 ATP Awards, the Spaniard was once again bestowed with the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award. He was voted as the perfect candidate by fellow tennis players. Along with Nadal, players like Felix Auger-Aliassime, Casper Ruud, and Frances Tiafoe were also part of the nominations.

Rafael Nadal shares his happiness on winning the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award

Talking after receiving this honor, the 20-time Grand Slam champion expressed his gratitude for his colleagues on the ATP tour.

“I can’t be happier to receive one more time the Sportsmanship Award from my colleagues on the Tour. It means a lot to me, so thanks a lot to every player that thinks that I am the right one to receive this award”. 

Nadal continued, “Honestly, it means a lot to me because I try to be always correct on court. Thanks for believing in me and I wish all the very best for the 2022 season to all my colleagues on the Tour and I hope to see you soon.”

Rafael Nadal is the five-time winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award and has won the award for four years in a row(since 2018). In every way, the Spaniard deserves this honor.

Nadal is looking forward to his ATP comeback in Australia next year

Coming to his tennis comeback, Nadal is currently playing the Mubadala World Tennis Championship as a warm-up event ahead of the Australian tennis summer. While Nadal is hopeful of making it to Australia, there are still a lot to be known regarding the status of his recovery.

The former world no.1 plays long-time rival Andy Murray at the Abu Dhabi exhibition event. The duo last faced each other in the semi-finals at the Mutua Madrid Open in 2016.

Ahead of the 2022 Australian Open, Rafa Nadal also signed up to play a warm-up event in Melbourne to get himself prepared for the ‘happy slam’.

Also read: EXCLUSIVE: Holger Rune Opens up on His US Open Match Against Novak Djokovic and His Breakthrough 2021 Season