Coaches have for years drilled into budding tennis players and professionals that serving to the backhand provides a stronger chance of winning second-serve points. In fact, it is clear that this tactic is the norm on the ATP Tour. Fifty per cent of serves have been directed to the backhand corner and 35 per cent to the body – mainly to the backhand side – leaving only 15 per cent of serves delivered to the forehand.

The thinking is simple: Serving to the backhand provides a safer option when sending down a slower delivery on the second serve. Naturally, forehand returns are more dangerous, so a high ball to the backhand provides a better chance of neutralising the opponent’s return, while reducing the risk of double faulting.

Animation 1: Serve Zone Trajectories on second serves to Deuce court: Win % and In %

However, the growth of increasingly sophisticated data and analysis of each and every action in the sport of tennis undermines the logic behind this long-held belief.

ATP players win 51 per cent of points when serving to the forehand corner versus just 49 per cent when serving to the backhand corner.

In other words, primarily directing the second serve to the backhand of an ATP opponent typically reduces the chances of winning the point. This information is derived from detailed analysis for nearly 150 right-handed ATP players with at least 1,000 second serves to right-handed opponents over a 10-year period.

Table 1: High frequency and second-serve win per centage to forehand and backhand corners of 150 right-handed ATP players with at least 1,000 second serves to right-handed opponents over a 10-year period.

What’s more, well-placed deuce-side second serves to the forehand corner generate 8.5 per cent more points won than well-placed serves to the backhand corner of the same service box. Perhaps even more surprisingly, second serves to the forehand corner in the deuce court lead to eight per cent more unreturned serves and lead servers to win 17 per cent more deuce-side return points in shorter rallies of five or fewer shots.

Animation 2: Win % heatmap for placement of second serves to Deuce court

All of this goes to highlight the growing importance of accessing and understanding detailed data analysis on Tour to enable players to leverage every marginal gain available to them. This is why Tennis Data Innovations is committed to delivering detailed tracking data on every court across the ATP Tour in 2023, to shed light on the most effective tactics and strategies in tennis.

And what does all this mean in practice? Well, just as we have seen with the inexorable rise of three-pointers in the NBA driven by crunching the data, so we are seeing the second serve to the forehand rise, increasing from 15 per cent in 2012 to 22 per cent in 2022 (a 47 per cent jump).

Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev are two players who have embraced data analysis and who often serve to the forehand on their second serve on both sides of the court with success.

However, other players have been slower to embrace the insights provided by data analytics and we see a number who rarely serve to the forehand. Not surprisingly, they are missing out on crucial points.

Grigor Dimitrov, as an example, may have gained a significant number of points by serving to the forehand corner 25 per cent of the time instead of 10 per cent. The five per cent differential gained on those second serves could have led to several additional matches being won in the course of a season, such are the fine margins in our sport.

In real terms, the difference in Pepperstone ATP Rankings points and prize money foregone by an over-reliance on serving to the backhand could be sizeable.

Table 2: Low frequency and second-serve win percentage to forehand and backhand corners. Date set of 150 right-handed ATP players with at least 1,000 second serves to right-handed opponents over a 10-year period.

Of course, we should not assume that pushing more second serves to the forehand will automatically increase the win per centage on all of those points. There is undoubtedly an element of surprise with serves to the forehand side currently that underpins its statistical advantage – built on the ingrained expectation of more serves being delivered to the other corner. This raises the question of how much more ATP players should serve to the forehand on second serve? Most players would benefit significantly if they served to the forehand at least 15-20 per cent more than they currently do.

One reason that second serves to the forehand have such a high win per centage is that they are surprising to the returner. Of course, as the per centage of serves by a player to the forehand increases, the win per centage decreases. Our analysis shows that increasing the proportion of serves to the forehand does not decrease the per centage of points won by very much. And more variation in second-serve location will deliver an increase in the win per centage of serves that continue to go to the backhand.

Given ever-improving racquets, string, and training technologies, which lead to faster and more accurate serves, we believe the per centage of serves to the forehand on second serve will continue to rise, with the expectation that one day we will see something closer to parity between the two sides.

Until then, we’ll likely continue to see an enlightened group of players and coaches take advantage of these marginal gains. In isolation, they may not seem like much, but in a sport where winning 51 per cent of the points will generally win you the match, these fine margins can be what separates success from failure.

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series in which Golden Set Analytics and TDI are looking at the increasing prominence and importance of deeper tennis data in helping us all better understand the dynamics of the sport, whether as players, coaches, fans or administrators.

This July, Holger Rune’s rapid rise had come to a screeching halt.

A 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals competitor, Rune’s season had started well. The teen, who began the year outside the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, quickly climbed into the Top 50 by lifting his first ATP Tour trophy in Munich and advancing to the Roland Garros quarter-finals. The only player younger than the Dane in the Top 50 was Carlos Alcaraz.

But what seemed a bump-free road revealed potholes. After losing to Casper Ruud in the last eight on the Parisian clay, Rune lost seven consecutive matches. For nearly two months, he did not win a set against a Top 100 player.

“It was tough for sure. When you lose a couple of matches in a row, you’ve got to get back at it and you have [to think about] your goals that you want to achieve. But I think it’s normal in a way,” Rune told ATPTour.com. “It’s going up and then sometimes it’s going a little bit down. You’ve got to accept it because this is sports. Everybody can beat everybody, so it’s just about accepting it and keep believing.

“[To] keep having belief is the most important. That’s also what kept me going. I’m basically a guy who is very motivated no matter what happens, so that’s one thing that is also helping me.”

In Hamburg, the 19-year-old lost his sixth straight match. He remembers thinking to himself about what was happening.

“It was really not a nice feeling,” Rune told ATPTour.com. “I kind of told myself that, ‘I still have to be motivated and get back to practice.’ As soon as I got back to practice, because I love tennis so much, I was just super motivated and then I was excited for the American swing and there I got things going a little bit again.”

After reaching the third round of the US Open and the quarter-finals in Metz, Rune won 19 of his next 21 matches. He made the final in Sofia, triumphed in Stockholm, advanced to the championship match in Basel and earned the best result of his career in Paris, where he claimed his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown.

Rune not only won the Rolex Paris Masters, but he did it in style, becoming the first player since the inception of the ATP Tour (1990) to claim five Top 10 victories at a tournament outside the Nitto ATP Finals. He clawed past in-form Novak Djokovic in the final.

^{Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}
Patrick Mouratoglou, who officially joined Rune’s team in October, was impressed by the Dane’s bounceback.

“It shows about his character that he can bounce back and that’s also what we say about champions,” Mouratoglou told ATPTour.com. “It’s not about what they win, it’s about how they bounce back when they’re in trouble. So I think it’s a good indicator about his personality, how strong it is, how much he wants it and how much he’s able to bounce [back].

“A champion is able to bounce back during a match when he’s in trouble, during a season when he’s in trouble. They’re able to find within themselves the necessary strengths to find the solutions to inverse a difficult situation.”

With his big win in Paris, Rune broke into the world’s Top 10. Although he is happy with his progress, Rune has long spoken about his dreams of becoming World No. 1. What will it take to get there?

“It’s definitely to keep improving a lot. Keep improving my serve, return, everything that’s possible. And it is the same with the mental side: keep staying composed in those important moments, being brave,” Rune said. “There are a lot of small things that are so important.

“Also now that I have been in the Top 10, it’s going to be even harder because people start to know my game more, so I have to keep improving. “It’s going to be fun and a great experience.”

Alcaraz and Ferrero have been selected by their peers as the Most Improved Player of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively. Alcaraz, also honoured as the ATP No. 1 presented Pepperstone in the 2022 ATP Awards, made the biggest jump to year-end No. 1 in history and is the first teenager to finish in the top spot. He won five titles in 2022, including a first Grand Slam crown at the US Open and a pair of ATP Masters 1000 titles at the Miami Open presented by Itau and Mutua Madrid Open. 

Visit the official ATP Awards section 

Two other Masters 1000 champions claim ATP Awards in player-voted categories. Rune, 19, has been named Newcomer of the Year while 26-year-old Coric takes home Comeback Player of the Year honours. Rune finished the season by winning 19 of his final 21 matches, defeating five Top 10 opponents en route to the Rolex Paris Masters title. Coric, a former World No. 12, returned from a shoulder injury to win the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. 

Ruud has been voted by fellow players as the first Scandinavian winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award since the award’s namesake in 1995. The Norwegian is also the first player other than Roger Federer and Nadal to win this category since 2003. 

Meanwhile, Nadal adds to his ATP Awards haul by winning his first Fans’ Favourite Award. The 36-year-old Spaniard’s collection includes a full set in the player-voted categories – Newcomer (2003), Most Improved (2005), Comeback (2013) and Sportsmanship (2010, 2018-2021) – in addition to the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award (2011) and ATP No. 1 presented by Pepperstone (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019).

Murray has been named recipient of the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for a second time, in recognition of his support for the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. The 35-year-old Brit, who has written an essay about his charity work for ATPTour.com, donated his 2022 prize money to a UNICEF campaign for children. 

The 2022 ATP Awards also recognises Wesley Koolhof & Neal Skupski, winners of seven titles during the first year of their partnership, as the ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by Pepperstone. Australian Open champions Thanasi Kokkinakis & Nick Kyrgios have been voted as Fans’ Favourite doubles team. 

The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (ATP Masters 1000), the cinch Championships at the Queen’s Club in London (ATP 500) and the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha (ATP 250) have been voted by players as Tournament of the Year in their respective categories. Meanwhile, Argentine journalist Sebastian Torok of LA NACION, has been recognised as the recipient of the Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award.

2022 ATP Awards Winners

ATP No. 1 presented by Pepperstone
(determined by Pepperstone ATP Rankings)
Most Improved Player of the Year
(voted by ATP players)
Carlos Alcaraz: The 19-year-old Spaniard is the first teenager and youngest player to finish No. 1 in the 50 editions of the year-end Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He made the biggest jump to year-end No. 1 in history, rising from No. 32 at the end of 2021. Alcaraz, the 2020 Newcomer of the Year, became the youngest ATP 500 champion (since 2009) by winning Rio de Janeiro in February. He also led the Tour with two ATP Masters 1000 titles (Miami and Madrid) and five titles overall (tied with Novak Djokovic). Alcaraz clinched his first Grand Slam title in September, when he became the youngest men’s singles winner at the US Open since 19-year-old Pete Sampras in 1990.

ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by Pepperstone
(determined by Pepperstone ATP Rankings)
Wesley Koolhof & Neal Skupski: The Dutchman and Briton won seven titles in their first year as a team, highlighted by their triumphs at three ATP Masters 1000 events (Madrid, Montreal and Paris). They were successful across different surfaces – outdoor and indoor hard courts, clay and grass – also picking up trophies in Melbourne, Adelaide, Doha and ‘s-Hertogenbosch. In addition to reaching the top as a team, Koolhof hit No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings on 7 November. Skupski joined him as joint World No. 1 a week later.

Comeback Player of the Year
(voted by ATP players)
Borna Coric: After missing a year due to a shoulder injury and surgery in May 2021, the 26-year-old Croatian surged back up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, from No. 278 in May to a year-end No. 26. Coric, who started his comeback in March, won an ATP Challenger Tour title in June. The former World No. 12 then charged back into the ATP Tour winners’ circle in style at the Western & Southern Open in August. Coric took out five Top 20 players in a row, including Rafael Nadal, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Stefanos Tsitsipas, to claim his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka and Wu Yibing were also nominated for Comeback Player of the Year. 

Newcomer of the Year
(voted by ATP players)
Holger Rune: The Dane enjoyed a standout season that saw him claim three titles and break into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Rune lifted his maiden ATP Tour title in Munich in May, two days after turning 19. He won 19 of his final 21 matches of the year, reaching four straight finals during that run. Rune won the Stockholm title in between runner-up finishes in Sofia and Basel. He then capped off his 2022 campaign by defeating five Top 10 opponents in a row – including Novak Djokovic in the final – to win the ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Paris Masters. #NextGenATP players Jack Draper, Jiri Lehecka, Ben Shelton and Chun-Hsin Tseng were also nominees for Newcomer of the Year.

Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award
(voted by ATP players)
Casper Ruud: The Norwegian has been recognised by fellow players for his fair play, professionalism and integrity on and off the court. By winning the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award, Ruud breaks the dominance of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who combined to win it each year since 2004 — Federer 13 times and Nadal five. The 23-year-old is also the award’s first Scandinavian winner since Sweden’s Edberg won it for a fifth time in 1995; the following year, it was renamed in his honour. This season, Ruud reached a career-high World No. 2 and won three ATP Tour titles. Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Nadal and Frances Tiafoe were also nominated in this category.

Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award
(awarded by ATP)
Andy Murray: The 35-year-old Brit has been named the 2022 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award recipient in recognition of his support for the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Murray donated his prize money for 2022 – more than US$630,000, starting in March with Indian Wells – to a UNICEF campaign for children affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Murray, a UNICEF UK Ambassador since 2014, is the fourth player who has earned the award multiple times, joining Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi. 

Fans’ Favourite Award (Singles)
(voted by fans)
Rafael Nadal: The 36-year-old wins the fan-voted ATP Award for the first time, adding to his full set of Awards in the player-voted categories: Newcomer, Most Improved, Comeback and Sportsmanship. Nadal was also named Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year in 2011 and crowned ATP No. 1 presented by Pepperstone five times. The Spaniard made his best start to an ATP Tour season by winning his first 20 matches of 2022, a run that included a record 21st Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open. He made it 22 major titles with victory at Roland Garros.

Fans’ Favourite Award (Doubles)
(voted by fans)
Thanasi Kokkinakis & Nick Kyrgios: The Australians have been voted as the Fans’ Favourite doubles team for the first time. The longtime friends started the season by winning a first team title at the Australian Open. Kokkinakis, 26, and 27-year-old Kyrgios also reached the Miami semi-finals and clinched the Atlanta title, before capping off their 2022 campaign with debut at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Coach of the Year
(voted by ATP coaches)
Juan Carlos Ferrero: The former World No. 1 helped Carlos Alcaraz achieve a record-breaking season on Tour. Ferrero first set eyes on his countryman at the Equelite Sport Academy when the 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion was just 13 years old. He witnessed Alcaraz earn his first ATP Tour point aged 14, before the pair started officially working together in 2018. Ferrero was selected as the winner from a shortlist that included Frederic Fontang (Felix Auger-Aliassime), Goran Ivanisevic (Novak Djokovic), Michael Russell (Taylor Fritz) and Christian Ruud (Casper Ruud).

ATP Masters 1000 Tournament of the Year
(voted by ATP players) 
BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells): The BNP Paribas Open wins in the ATP Masters 1000 category for a record-extending eighth time — all in succession. Held amidst the natural beauty and backdrop of the desert landscape, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden offers top-notch player facilities and amenities; plentiful practice courts that allow fans to watch players up close; and unparalleled dining options.

ATP 500 Tournament of the Year
(voted by ATP players) 
cinch Championships (London): The cinch Championships at The Queen’s Club claims honours at the ATP 500 level, winning for the fourth time. Also recognised in the ATP Awards in 2015, 2016 and 2018, the tournament has thrived in its prestigious setting in West Kensington by consistently attracting some of the best singles and doubles players on the ATP Tour.

ATP 250 Tournament of the Year
(voted by ATP players) 
Qatar ExxonMobil Open (Doha): The Qatar ExxonMobil Open repeats as winner in the ATP 250 category, claiming the Tournament of the Year award for the fifth time overall (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021). Doha has set high standards since its inception in 1993 and under the guidance of former player Karim Alami, the tournament continues to build its reputation for its superb facility, world-class hospitality and welcoming fans.

Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award
(awarded by ATP)
Sebastian Torok: Torok has been a journalist for the Argentine newspaper LA NACION since 2000. He has covered football, rugby, boxing and handball, but specialises in tennis. He has been a radio columnist and, since 2018, has been a commentator on ESPN Latin America. He also wrote biographies on Juan Martin del Potro (‘El milagro Del Potro’ and ‘The Gentle Giant’) and Gustavo Fernandez, a leading figure in wheelchair tennis (‘Hambre de Lobo’). The Argentine received international recognition at the AIPS Sport Media Awards for various investigations.

Rafael Nadal announced Friday on social media that his longtime coach, Francisco Roig, is leaving his team.

“I want to inform you that Francis Roig is leaving my team and starting a new personal project as a coach… He started joining the team and worked with us together with my Uncle Toni and later with Carlos Moyá and recently Marc López,” Nadal wrote. “Francis has been an important person in my career and I am very grateful to him for all these years of work and friendship.”

 

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Roig has worked with Nadal since 2005, before the lefty claimed his first Grand Slam title. Now Nadal is a 22-time major winner and has spent 209 weeks at World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in his career.

“When we started working together I was a child and together with my Uncle Toni, we started on the circuit,” Nadal said. “Francis is a great coach who knows tennis very well and has helped me a lot to get better and better. I only have words of gratitude and I wish him all the luck in the world in his new project!”

The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (ATP Masters 1000), the cinch Championships in London (ATP 500) and the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha (ATP 250) have been named as Tournament of the Year in their respective categories in the 2022 ATP Awards. The tournament awards, voted by ATP players, recognise the leading standards set across events on the ATP Tour.

The BNP Paribas Open continues its recent dominance in the ATP Masters 1000 category, winning the honour for a record-extending eighth time — all in succession. Held amidst the natural beauty and backdrop of the desert landscape, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden offers top-notch player facilities and amenities; plentiful practice courts that allow fans to watch players up close; and unparalleled dining options.

The 2022 singles title was won by Southern California’s Taylor Fritz, while Americans John Isner and Jack Sock claimed the doubles crown.

“We are truly humbled to have been voted Tournament of the Year by ATP players for a record eighth straight year,” Tournament Director Tommy Haas said. “To have the hard work of our entire team recognised in this way is something that we take great pride in. We are already hard at work to ensure that the 2023 event is the best yet for players, fans and visitors from around the world, and look forward to welcoming everyone to Tennis Paradise again this March.”

The cinch Championships at The Queen’s Club in London claims the honour at the ATP 500 level, winning the award for the fourth time. Also recognised in the ATP Awards in 2015, 2016 and 2018, the tournament has thrived in its prestigious setting in West Kensington by consistently attracting some of the best singles and doubles players on the ATP Tour.

Founded in 1989, the event was won by Matteo Berrettini in each of the past two years. Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic won the 2022 doubles title.

“Given the quality of tournaments in this category, it is an honour to be voted by players as the ATP 500 Tournament of the Year,” said Chris Pollard, Events and Digital Director, LTA. “It is recognition of the outstanding work from the LTA tournament team and the support from a large number of sponsors, partners and suppliers who collaborate so effectively with the LTA, the Queen’s Club and the ATP in delivering the Tournament. As well as hosting our highest event attendance in 2022, the LTA introduced a number of innovative sustainability and inclusion initiatives that opened up the event to new audiences – we look forward to further enhancing the event experience for players, spectators and sponsors in 2023.”

The Qatar ExxonMobil Open repeats as winner in the ATP 250 category, claiming the Tournament of the Year award for the fifth time overall (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021). Doha has set high standards since its inception in 1993 and under the guidance of former player Karim Alami, the tournament continues to build its reputation for its superb facility, world-class hospitality and welcoming fans.

Roberto Baustista Agut was this season’s singles champion, while the year-end No. 1 doubles duo of Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski won the doubles title.

“The Qatar Tennis Federation and all the members of the team organising the Qatar ExxonMobil Open are delighted to be selected as best ATP 250 for the fifth time in the last eight years,” said Alami. “This award is a recognition of our team’s efforts to evolve, improve and adapt, while maintaining the focus on creating a warm and attractive environment that makes all guests and participants feel welcome despite the unusual conditions faced these last couple of years. We want to thank our loyal sponsors, the local government and leadership for their commitment, trust and vision.”

Casper Ruud has been selected by fellow players as the winner of the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award in the 2022 ATP Awards. It is the 23-year-old’s first ATP Award and it comes after a breakout season in which he rose as high as World No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

The award recognises the Norwegian’s fair play, professionalism and integrity on and off the court.

All ATP Awards Winners

“A big thanks to everyone who voted for me for this year’s ATP Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award,” said Ruud. “I feel very, very honoured and happy to win this prize this year. I will try to keep my mood in the right place for next year. Can’t wait to be back on court.”

“I feel very, very honoured and happy to win this prize this year.” @CasperRuud98 | #ATPAwards pic.twitter.com/ULDmY80dOs

— ATP Tour (@atptour) December 16, 2022

By winning the sportsmanship award, Ruud breaks the dominance of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who combined to win it each year since 2004 — Federer 13 times and Nadal five, including each of the past four years. Ruud is also the award’s first Scandinavian winner since Sweden’s Edberg won it for a fifth time in 1995. The following year, it was renamed in his honour.

In the 2022 season, Ruud won three ATP Tour titles (Buenos Aires, Geneva, Gstaad) and finished runner-up at Miami, Roland Garros, the US Open and the Nitto ATP Finals. He ended the season at World No. 3 and has a golden opportunity improve upon that position in early 2023, with no points to defend at the Australian Open after missing this year’s first Grand Slam with an ankle injury.

Andy Murray on Thursday was named the 2022 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award recipient in recognition of his support for the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Murray is the fourth player who has earned the award multiple times (also 2014), joining Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi.

The 35-year-old wrote an essay for ATPTour.com detailing the thought process behind his philanthropic efforts, what motivated him as a younger player to further involve himself with charity work and more.

* * *
In February I was playing the tournament in Dubai and I remember watching the news and there were rumours about something happening between Russia and Ukraine.

A few days later when Russia invaded Ukraine everyone was very worried about what it would mean. When all the images on the news showing what was happening to families began pouring in, it was devastating. Houses were bombed and families were displaced. Young children were affected by this, with many injured and in some cases dying. I wasn’t sure what I could do to help.

Shortly after I decided that from Indian Wells onwards, I would donate my prize money for the rest of the season to UNICEF’s humanitarian response – the final total was just over $630,000. It seemed like something that would give me some extra motivation this year. I thought I could also raise some awareness and hopefully get others involved in helping, too.

There are 7.5 million children in Ukraine and after more than nine months of increased conflict, 5.2 million of them are in need of assistance. UNICEF is working around the clock to keep children safe by ensuring child health and protection services are sustained, critical supplies are delivered to families and that children have clean water and nutritious food.

When you see images of children on the news who were impacted by things like this, that makes it even more difficult to stomach. I have four young children who are really fortunate that everything is fine with them. But being a parent, it affects you differently. You try to put yourself in their shoes. If something like that happened with your own family, how difficult would that be? It is hard to fathom.

I’m in the fortunate position to try to make some sort of difference, so hopefully the money that’s been raised through UNICEF can help some of the children who have been affected. 

I think in situations like these it is important to be empathetic and do what you can to help others. When I was younger, in my early 20s, I didn’t really think about anything else except my tennis. As you start to get older and maybe mature a little bit, you realise there are things that are more important than sport.

I found it important to speak out on certain subjects that were important to me or to do certain things for charities that touched me or were important to me. I did some fundraising early in my career for one of my best friends, Ross Hutchins, who was diagnosed with cancer.

Ross, who was also a professional tennis player, called me with the news one day when I was in Abu Dhabi and I was shocked. I remember sitting in my room for quite a while after he told me. I was upset by the whole thing and then started thinking about any ways I could help him or get him engaged with something that might make a difference for him or give him something to look forward to. You don’t expect that to happen to one of your best friends, especially someone who was in his mid-20s and as fit and healthy as he was.

Around that time was when I saw the positive benefits to doing more charity work. Because something happened to someone very close to me, I probably was more encouraged to do more of that as I got older. I saw a greater responsibility to speak out and do things when I had the opportunity. Maybe when I was first starting out on the Tour, I didn’t realise how important it was.

More From The 2022 ATP Awards
Rafa Named Fans’ Favourite
‘Super Happy’ Coric Is Comeback Player Of The Year
Rune 2022 Newcomer Of The Year

In 2014, I became a UNICEF UK Ambassador, and later that year I received the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for the first time. It’s an honour to be named recipient again. The reason to do the right thing is not for an accolade like this, but it is nice that it is appreciated somewhere.

Arthur Ashe was a special person, so to win an award named after him means a lot. He was a great tennis player and has been recognised for that as well, but it speaks for what he’s done off the court that people remember how he helped others.

Billie Jean King is someone else in tennis circles who has done that. She was also an incredible tennis player, but what she’s done away from the game has been incredible too and I think athletes have a responsibility to use their platform in a positive way if they can. Arthur and Billie Jean certainly did that.

I join Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi as two-time winners of this award. Agassi is someone who I looked up to a lot growing up. I know he has done a lot of great things away from the court with his school. Roger’s foundation has also staged fundraising matches for parts of Africa and I know Aisam has been involved in peace talks in his part of the world.

I think that a lot of the young players who are coming through seem like good guys. I’m sure they’re going to be great ambassadors for the sport moving forward. I’d encourage them to try and find some causes that are important to them and mean something to them and to try and give back when they get the chance.

* * *
UNICEF PRAISES MURRAY’S COMMITMENT

Jon Sparkes OBE, the Chief Executive at the UK Committee for UNICEF, issued the following statement in praise of Murray’s efforts in Ukraine:

We are hugely grateful to UNICEF UK Ambassador, Andy Murray, for generously donating this season’s prize money to UNICEF UK. The incredible donation will support UNICEF’s work responding to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which is having a devastating impact on the country’s 7.5 million children.

Over nine months of war has left millions of children in need of humanitarian assistance, with destroyed infrastructure and freezing weather leaving Ukraine’s children facing an uncertain future. UNICEF is working day and night in Ukraine and neighbouring countries to keep children safe by helping to make sure that child health and protection services are sustained, delivering critical supplies to families and ensuring children have clean water and nutritious food.

Andy’s endless dedication to the role of UNICEF UK Ambassador has seen him support many life-changing fundraising initiatives and advocacy campaigns since he took on the role in 2014. During this time he has launched his exhibition match, Andy Murray Live in 2016, and donated generously to UNICEF’s work around the child migrant and refugee crisis in 2015.

I know I speak on behalf of everyone at UNICEF UK when I say a huge thank you.

The accolades for Carlos Alcaraz’s stunning 2022 breakthrough have come from far and wide. Now, his fellow players have taken the chance to acknowledge the 19-year-old’s remarkable rise to World No. 1 by voting the Spaniard as the Most Improved Player of the Year in the year-end ATP Awards.

“I’m really happy to receive this award, and I want to say thank you to all my colleagues who voted me as the Most Improved Player of the Year,” said Alcaraz. “For me it’s an amazing achievement. This year has been a really good year for me, a dream year for me, and I’m looking to improve the year in 2023. Thank you very much.”

An incredible season 👏 @carlosalcaraz | #ATPAwards pic.twitter.com/zjXi5UXDHi

— ATP Tour (@atptour) December 15, 2022

Billed as a budding superstar on the heels of a strong finish to 2021 — one that saw him reach the US Open quarter-finals and later claim the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals title — Alcaraz had a lot to live up to this season. The Spaniard not only met those lofty expectations, he exceeded them in record time.

After winning the first of his five titles on the year at the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro to break into the Top 20, Alcaraz showed he could deliver on the game’s biggest stages by winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami after a semi-final run in Indian Wells. He then brought the show to his home fans, claiming a Spanish trophy double in Barcelona and Madrid, beating Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev in succession in the latter event.

More success put Alcaraz in position to reach the top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at the US Open, and he took the chance with aplomb to become the youngest World No. 1 since the rankings began in 1973.

“For me it’s a dream come true being No. 1 in the world, to be a Grand Slam champion,” Alcaraz told the ATP Tour after the US Open.

“Everything has come so fast. I didn’t think at the beginning of the year that I’m going to have the year that I’m having right now,” he continued. “I always believe in my team and in my work, so this is something that came with the hard work that I put in every day, the hard preseason, the work during the year with my team. Everything pays off.”

It was the second consecutive year that Alcaraz had been nominated for Most Improved Player in the ATP Awards. His fellow nominees in the category this year were Maxime Cressy, Jack Draper and Holger Rune.