The 2022 ESPY Awards were recently held in Los Angeles, and Rafael Nadal and Emma Raducanu won the tennis categories at the event.
The ESPY Awards is an American awards show produced by ESPN since 1993. It recognizes individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance during the calendar year preceding the annual ceremony.
There were many worthy contenders for the tennis categories. Iga Swiatek could have been chosen for her incredible dominance this year, including a 37-match winning streak that ended at Wimbledon.
Ashleigh Barty also could have been picked after winning the 2022 Australian Open. Elena Rybakina's recent run to the Wimbledon title also made her a contender.
Daniil Medvedev won the 2021 US Open title, while Novak Djokovic claimed a seventh Wimbledon crown in the preceding year, making them options. However, the ESPY Awards chose Raducanu and Nadal in the respective categories.
Raducanu won the best athlete in the women's category for her memorable run to the 2021 US Open title, claiming the title without dropping a set in New York. The other nominees were Swiatek, Barty, and Leylah Fernandez, who Raducanu beat in the final.
Nadal won the award for best male athlete after his incredible start to 2022, which included titles at the Australian and French Opens. Dylan Alcott, Carlos Alcaraz, and Felix Auger-Aliassime were the other nominees.
Nadal also received the award in 2011 and 2014. Serena Williams holds the record for the tennis player with the most ESPYs, winning ten of them. Roger Federer's total of nine is the most among male players.
Some fans argue the awards are biased toward certain players. For instance, the organizers may have favored Williams since a large American sports network produced the event. It is tough to verify those claims with certainty, though, and the winners should be very proud of their success.
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