Carlos Alcaraz wrapped up 2025 as the world No. 1 after a nail-biting battle with Jannik Sinner. It’s the second time the 22-year-old Spaniard has finished on top – he first did it back in 2022 when he was just 19 and fresh off his first Grand Slam win at the US Open.
The ATP just announced nominees for three major year-end awards, and there are some pretty interesting choices on the lists.
While Alcaraz and Sinner have basically owned men’s tennis for the past two years, these awards give the ATP a chance to recognize other players who’ve made their mark or shown incredible sportsmanship throughout the season.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz | 22 | 68,791 | 25 - 5 |
Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award nominees
Three of the four nominees have actually won this award before. Alcaraz took home the honor in 2023, and it’s easy to see why – the guy brings pure joy to every match with his smile and genuine excitement after great points.
The sportsmanship between Alcaraz and Sinner during their 2025 French Open final was honestly pretty amazing to watch. Both players overruled points in their opponent’s favor without the umpire even getting involved.
Some people think Sinner should be nominated based on moments like that. But let’s be real – the ATP nominating someone who served a three-month suspension this year would’ve been a PR nightmare.
Casper Ruud, who won the award in 2022, is back on the list. The Norwegian has been considered one of the nicest guys on tour for years now. Remember when he sent that encouraging message to Iga Swiatek after Coco Gauff beat her badly at the 2025 Madrid Open? That’s just who he is.
Grigor Dimitrov won it last year and he’s nominated again, along with Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Winning it again might give Dimitrov a nice boost after that heartbreaking retirement against Sinner in the 2025 Wimbledon final – he was up two sets and had to quit due to injury.
Breakthrough Player of the Year nominees
Jack Draper earned his spot after winning Indian Wells and climbing into the top 5. The Brit’s season ended early due to injury, but what a run he had before that setback.
He’ll be hoping to stay healthy next year and really challenge the Alcaraz-Sinner dominance.
Joao Fonseca had quite the year too, winning titles in Basel and Argentina. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina compared the Brazilian to Novak Djokovic, though Fonseca wasn’t too thrilled with that comparison.
Valentin Vacherot won Shanghai Masters while Jakub Mensik took the Miami Open title.
Some fans think Learner Tien got snubbed – the guy went from outside the top 100 all the way to No. 28. That’s pretty impressive.
Coach of the Year nominees
Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi, who coach Sinner, are up for the award they won back in 2023. Here’s a fun fact: Cahill was planning to leave Sinner’s team at the end of this year, but he’s staying after Sinner won some bet they made.
Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez, Alcaraz’s coaching team, are also in the running. Ferrero already won this in 2022, but it would be Lopez’s first time since he only joined the team this season.
Ben Shelton‘s father and coach Bryan Shelton rounds out the nominees, along with Frederic Fontang (Auger-Aliassime’s coach) and Benjamin Balleret, who works with Vacherot.
The awards should be announced soon, and it’ll be interesting to see if the voters go with familiar faces or shake things up with some new winners.
