Jannik Sinner brings 20-year Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal monopoly to end, wins ATP Fans' Favorite Award for 2023
Jannik Sinner has won the 2023 ATP Fans' Favorite Award for the 2023 season, the first time since 2003 that someone not named Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal has bagged the honor.
For 19 years, between 2003 and 2021, the award went to Federer. In 2022, Nadal won the award for the first time. This year, though, neither had much of a chance; the Swiss hung up his racquet last year and Nadal skipped almost the entire season due to injury.
Consequently, Sinner emerged as the new winner. Apart from him, Federer and Nadal, Marat Safin has won the award twice (2001 and 2002), while Gustavo Kuerten won the inaugural honor in 2000.
In the 2023 season, Sinner won four titles, including his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open. He also reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon, and ended the year as World No. 4. By doing so, he became the first Italian man to break into the top-5 of the ATP rankings.
"Jannik Sinner is not like Carlos Alcaraz" - Roger Federer's former coach
In a recent interview, Roger Federer's ex-coach Ivan Ljubicic opined that Jannik Sinner is not developmentally similar to Carlos Alcaraz, who went from World No. 40 to World No. 1 in one giant leap.
Unlike Alcaraz, Sinner needs more gradual steps, which Ljubicic believes the Italian has done in 2023. The Croat further said that Sinner lost the ATP Finals title clash to Novak Djokovic because he was exhausted after a difficult semifinal clash with Daniil Medvedev.
"I immediately believed in his chances. Jannik is not like Alcaraz, who went from #40 to #1. He needs steps. I think what he has done in the last two months, the confirmation of hard work, has brought him closer to the goal. He needed certain experiences to feel comfortable on this path," he said.
"He reached the final in Turin and lost it because he was very tired after a difficult semi‐final against Medvedev. But when he left the court, his mind was already on the team and the Davis Cup," he added.
Jannik Sinner exacted revenge for the ATP Finals defeat in the very next tournament, beating Djokovic in the semifinals when Italy took on Serbia at the Davis Cup. The 22-year-old then helped his team beat Australia in the final to lead Italy to a memorable triumph.