Carlos Alcaraz was honored during the ATP Awards Week after being selected as this year's winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award.
The award is named after former ATP World No. 1 and winner of six Grand Slam singles titles, Stefan Edberg, known for his professionalism and exemplary conduct on and off the court. It has been in existence since 1977 and is voted by the players.
Therefore, this annual award is given to the player who exemplifies the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play, carries himself with professionalism and integrity on the court, and promotes the sport through his off-court activities.
Carlos Alcaraz, one of the classiest players on tour, who plays with a beaming smile, ticked all these boxes. Alcaraz beat Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, and direct rival Jannik Sinner in a four-man shortlist determined by the International Tennis Writers' Association (ITWA).
The players themselves decided the overall vote for the winner, which epitomizes Alcaraz's unparalleled charisma with his peers. The 20-year-old becomes the fourth Spaniard to win this award, joining Jose Higueras (1983), Alex Corretja (1996 & 1998), and five-time winner Rafael Nadal (2010, 2018-21).
This is also Alcaraz's third player-voted award that he has received from the ATP, putting it alongside the Newcomer of the Year in 2020 and Most Improved in 2022 in his trophy cabinet. He was delighted to have his name on the roll of honor list.
"Hi guys, It's Carlos Alcaraz. 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."
On the court, Alcaraz won six ATP titles last season, including a second Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon. He has endeared himself with the utmost respect to his fellow players throughout the season and has taken part in exhibition tournamnets during the off-season to expand tennis' reach.
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