"Sportsmanship without Jannik Sinner"; "A joke" - Fans react to ATP Awards 2024 nominees list ft. Carlos Alcaraz
The 2024 ATP Awards were announced on Monday, November 25, with some of the sport's top names, including Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper among the nominees. However, many fans voiced their disapproval over the absence of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and his coaches, Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill, from the nominations.
Several players were included in the nominee list across five categories, Comeback Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, and Coach of the Year.
Former World No. 4 Kei Nishikori, Matteo Berrettini, and Marin Čilić were nominated for the ATP Comeback Player of the Year award. Berrettini recently joined the Davis Cup-winning Italian team, while Nishikori claimed a Challenger title and Čilić won an ATP 250 event in Hangzhou.
The nominees for the ATP Award for Most Improved Player of the Year include Jack Draper and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, among others. Meanwhile, contenders for the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award include four-time Major champion Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov, and the recently retired Dominic Thiem.
The nominees for Coach of the Year include Alexei Popyrin's coach Xavier Malisse, Perricard's coach Emmanuel Planque, US Open finalist Taylor Fritz's coach Michael Russell, Tommy Paul's coach Brad Stine, and Jack Draper's coach James Trotman.
You can see the post shared by ATP Tour on Instagram:
However, the two-time Major champion Jannik Sinner, known for his calm demeanor on court wasn't included in the sportsmanship award nominations. His coaches—Simone Vagnozzi, a former Italian tennis player turned coach, and head coach Darren Cahill were also missing from the nominations.
Notably, Cahill and Vagnozzi played a key role in helping Sinner win his first Major title at the 2024 Australian Open, followed by several other prestigious titles, including this year's US Open.
Many fans criticized the nominees list, lamenting the absence of Sinner and his coaches.
"Sportsmanship without Jannik, and Cahill/Vagnozzi out of coaches wtf these awards man," a fan wrote.
"Where are Sinner and Vagnozzi for the coaches???" another asked.
"Popyrin went from outside the top 100 to a masters champion? And he's not here?! Also, Where is Cahill and Vagnozzi?!," a fan chimed in.
Here are a few more reactions from the fans:
"Sportsmanship award belong to Thiem," a fan opined.
"Coaches of the year is a joke, where is Cahill," another said.
"Sportsmanship Alcaraz who scream at every point?," a fan commented.
Jannik Sinner last competed at the 2024 Davis Cup
Team Italy recently secured their second consecutive and third overall Davis Cup title, defeating Team Netherlands in the final. Matteo Berrettini gave Italy a 1-0 lead with a strong 6-4, 6-2 win over Van de Zandschulp. Jannik Sinner then sealed the victory, defeating Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(2), 6-2.
“It has been an amazing year. I’m very proud of the whole team,” said Sinner. “There is a lot of work behind it and I’m very happy to hold this trophy again. It was a very difficult day today, because anything can happen," Sinner said, via ATP Tour.
On their way to the final, Italy defeated Argentina in the quarterfinals and Australia in the semifinals, with Sinner winning all of his matches. He has been outstanding this season and his absence from the entirety of the ATP awards was bound to enrage fans.