Carlos Alcaraz will not end 2024 with one final honor after Grigor Dimitrov won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award.
The new season does not begin until December 27th at the United Cup, but many fans kept themselves entertained by predicting who would win the end-of-year awards handed out to ATP and WTA stars.
Many of those honors have now been given. Aryna Sabalenka won the WTA Player of the Year Award for her outstanding season, which included securing two Grand Slams and finishing as the year-end No. 1.
Sabalenka beat other players like Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek to the award. Gauff was the 2024 WTA Finals champion, beating Swiatek and Sabalenka during her run to the title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Swiatek claimed a fourth French Open title, but tennis fans worldwide were left stunned when it was revealed she accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance clostebol.
Sabalenka also received the Gerry Diamond ACES award in recognition of her work and dedication to promoting women’s tennis to fans, media, and local communities by taking part in off-court promotional and charitable activities.
Ons Jabeur was another WTA player given two awards: the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award and the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award, both voted on by other female players.
Alcaraz has kept himself occupied this month by competing in two exhibitions in the United. The first was a victory against Ben Shelton at Madison Square Garden, while the second ended in defeat to Frances Tiafoe in Charlotte.
The Spaniard's friendly and personable attitude on the court, combined with his entertaining playing style, make him the perfect man for exhibitions. Andy Roddick was amazed by his efforts against Shelton and Tiafoe.
Alcaraz also has a similar attitude in professional matches. He routinely smiles on the court and shows respect to opponents. Throwing his racket at the Paris Masters was a rare outburst from him.
Those attributes led to his being named last year's Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award winner. He was in the running to retain the honor, which is voted on by fellow players, but Dimitrov has beaten him to it.
Dimitrov is one of the most well-liked men on the ATP Tour, as demonstrated by his friendships with numerous other players. That includes Novak Djokovic, with whom Dimitrov played an exhibition earlier this year.
The Bulgarian was thrilled to receive the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award and thanked the players and his fans. He also promised to keep working hard and striving to be the best player and person possible.
"I'm just very grateful, very thankful to all my fans, to all my colleagues, to everyone that has been such a support throughout all this time. I feel very fortunate. Thank you all for this amazing appreciation, and I'll make sure to keep on going and to keep on striving to be the best."
Alcaraz is focused on preparing for the new season after playing the previously mentioned exhibitions in the United States. His plans have been altered after Jack Draper withdrew from a pre-season camp with him because of an injury.
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