Rafael Nadal has special message for fans after winning ATP's Sportsmanship Award: WATCH

There were little to no surprises at the announcement of the ATP awards last night as Rafael Nadal took home the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award. Unlike some honours that are handed out on the basis of fan votes, the World No. 2 was picked for this high distinction by his fellow ATP players. The three other nominees in the category were: John Millman, Dominic Thiem and Diego Schwartzman. This was Nadal's third consecutive year winning the trophy and his fourth overall. 

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Nadal wins Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award

Once known plainly as the 'ATP Sportsmanship Award' during its establishment in 1977, the 'Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award' earned itself its current name after it made a permanent place in the home of tennis legend Stefan Edberg. The six-time Grand Slam Champion was a five-time recipient of the ATP Sportsmanship Award, winning the title in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1995. Not unlike his fellow Swede, the iconic Björn Borg, Edberg was known for his cool and calm demeanour on and off the court.  

Since Edberg's fifth win in '95, only five other players have won this award. Spain's Alex Corretja and Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan have received the award twice each while Australian legend Pat Rafter has claimed the honour four times. However, the award has bounced back and forth between just the two people since 2004 - Roger Federer - who has won a massive 13 of these distinctions- and Rafa Nadal. 

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Despite his bullish style of play, Rafa is among the most professional players on the circuit, having vowed never to even smash a racket on court early in his career. Recognising this attitude of his, Nadal's first Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award came in 2010. It is interesting to note that Nadal is a 13-time French Open winner, while Edberg himself was denied a career Slam after failing to win the notorious contest even once in his career. Talking about what the award means to him, Nadal said:

"Hello everyone. It means a lot to me to win another Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award. It is an important trophy, and I will keep it close to the other three. I want to thank all my colleagues for thinking I'm the right one to receive the sportsmanship award. When someone asks me how I want to be remembered, I always respond that I want them to cherish me as a good person and then a tennis player. That's why this award means a lot to me, and it should find a special place in my museum."

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Rafael Nadal Grand Slams and Nadal ATP ranking

Nadal's French Open Final win, along with his participation points from the six other tournaments he played in 2020 means that Nadal will go into 2021 just 2180 points short of No. 1 Djokovic. A win at the Australia Open 2021 would give Nadal 2000 points, a record 21st Grand Slam and his double career Slam all at once. 

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Image Credits: Screenshot from ATP video