The lack of logic in the 'ATP Awards'

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If you browse through the most important national sports newspapers, you will see that the issue of the Ballon d'Or continues to stir controversy as Brazilian Vinícius did not receive it. Individual awards always involve a very subjective aspect, leading to controversies among fans. Something similar happens with the ATP Awards. This year, upon discovering the nominees, more than one person was surprised to see the list of coaches vying for the Best Coach of the Year award.

This specific category sparked controversy a year ago when Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi received the award. It was surprising that despite Novak Djokovic's victory in three of the four Grand Slams, his coach, Goran Ivanisevic, did not win the award. This prompted Djokovic to defend his coach, stating that they would need to win all four major titles by 2024 to have a chance. This year, the situation has been no different.

The list of nominees for Best Coach of the Year includes the coaches of Popyrin, Perricard, Fritz, Paul, and Draper. No sign of Cahill or Vagnozzi, in Sinner's best year, where he had one of the best seasons of the Open Era, nothing of Zverev Sr either, in a fantastic year for Sascha, nor does Juan Carlos Ferrero appear, the coach of Alcaraz, who won two Slams in the same year for the first time.

It is true that these nominees are chosen by a vote among the coaches on the circuit, but what sense does it make for the coaches of the two players who shared this year's major titles and battled for the world number one spot not to be among the five nominees? One might think that others are being rewarded, especially since Juan Carlos Ferrero won in 2022 and the Cahill-Vagnozzi duo in 2023. However, when we refer to an award like "best of the year," we cannot exclude those who have indeed been the best.

If there is an internal rule that prohibits voting for previous winners, that is unknown. In that case, it would not make sense to speak of the "best of the year," as it would mean rewarding someone who had not won it yet even though they were not the best in that specific year. If there is no internal rule and it is simply a global decision of the circuit coaches, perhaps public voting or input from an expert panel should also be considered to provide a better criterion. Not including the best performers of the year among the nominees diminishes the significance of the award.

The fans' favorite

The big question that remains is who the fans' favorite player is. In 2023, the award went to Jannik Sinner. In a year where a doping scandal emerged, this may have affected his popularity. In fact, on social media, every post about him is criticized by other fans. The spotlight now turns to Carlos Alcaraz, who won two major titles this year and has a significant fan base due to his personality and playing style. We will have to wait a few more days to find out who the public has chosen. 
 

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La falta de lógica en los "Premios ATP"