Rafael Nadal voted Fans' Favourite for the first time in his career

Rafael Nadal won the ATP Fans' Favourite award for the first time in his career in 2022. It came after a 19-year dominance of his rival, Roger Federer.

Nadal has been one of the most popular tennis players in the world. However, there was always one man who was more popular than Spaniard throughout his tennis career.

Federer is arguably the most loved player in the world, and his dominance in the ATP Fans' Favorite award only proves that. The award was first given in 2000 when Gustavo Kuerten won it.

In 2001 and 2002, Marat Safin won the hearts of most tennis fans, and for nearly two decades, those two players were the only other winners of this award not named Federer.

The Swiss Maestro first won this award in 2003 when he also won his maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. Since then, he won it every season until 2021, recording an incredible 19 consecutive triumphs.

Now, Federer isn't an active player anymore. He retired from the sport at the 2022 Laver Cup, and since he hasn't played an official match this year, he wasn't eligible for the award.

That means that after a two-decade wait, another winner was crowned, and that was no other than another Big Three member, this time Rafael Nadal.

After his win, Nadal recorded a video for the ATP, which was posted on social media. He thanked all of his fans for the support that he received.