World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz, on Friday, December 15, won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award 2023. The youngster defeated Jannik Sinner, Hubert Hurkacz and Grigor Dimitrov on his way to winning the prestigious ATP award. The award recognizes players who played tennis fairly and showed integrity on the court throughout the year.
He also became the fourth Spaniard to win the award after Jose Higueras, Alex Corretja and Rafael Nadal. Even as Higueras and Corretja got their hands on the award once and twice respectively, Nadal won it as many as five times (2010, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021).
“I’m so happy to win the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award. I’m especially happy that it’s an award chosen by my colleagues on the circuit. It means a lot to me, so thank you all very much,” Alcaraz was quoted as saying.
Alcaraz had an impressive year in 2023 after he won six titles. The Wimbledon final where he defeated the legendary Novak Djokovic, also the current World No.1, remains his most prolific win in the ongoing year.
Alcaraz is now getting set to take part in the Australian Open 2023, which is scheduled to be played from mid-January. Back in 2021, Alcaraz became the youngest and the first teenager to become the World No.1, breaking Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt’s record.
He went to the top after beating Casper Ruud in the final of the US Open 2022. Recently, Djokovic heaped praise on Alcaraz as one of the most complete players he has ever witnessed. Alcaraz has beaten Djokovic two times in their five meetings until now.
