Nominees for the 2023 ATP Awards were announced earlier this week. The Comeback Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year, and Sportsmanship Award will all be voted on by the players and will be announced in December.
Here are the lists in addition to my picks to win.
Comeback Player of the Year
Dominic Koepfer
Gael Monfils
Jan-Lennard Struff
Alexander Zverev
Who will win? Gael Monfils
Who should win? Alexander Zverev
The Germans and Monfils…. My guess is the Frenchman beats out the German trio. He suffered a bad foot injury in the summer of 2022 and he will get bonus points from the ATP for dealing with a whole host of injuries throughout his career. Monfils did well to get back inside the top 100 this season (currently 74th). Struff and Koepfer did not make enough noise this year to warrant serious consideration. Zverev sustained the most notable injury last season and is back up to No. 7 in the world. However, his relative lack of movement in the rankings combined with Monfils being far more likable in the eyes of the ATP means Zverev probably won’t win it.
Most Improved Player of the Year
Matteo Arnaldi
Chris Eubanks
Ben Shelton
Jannik Sinner
Who will win? Jannik Sinner
Who should win? Chris Eubanks
At 27 years old, Eubanks made huge strides in 2023–emotionally breaking into the top 100 for the first time at the Miami Masters before powering his way to the Wimbledon quarterfinals for a spot in the top 50. He peaked as high as No. 29 (currently 34th). Shelton and Arnaldi were stellar, but they “arrived” more than “improved.” Sinner, of course, was incredible and will probably win this award. But he was already great even before 2023 began, which is why I would go with Eubanks.
Newcomer of the Year
Flavio Cobolli
Arthur Fils
Alex Michelsen
Dominic Stricker
Luca Van Assche
Who will win? Arthur Fils
Who should win? Arthur Fils
This is the only slam dunk of the entire awards list. Fils is by far the highest-ranked player of this group at No. 36. Only Van Assche is also in the top 70 (right on the number at 70th). Fils is already an ATP title winner, too, having triumphed this spring on the red clay of Lyon.
Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award
Carlos Alcaraz
Grigor Dimitrov
Hubert Hurkacz
Jannik Sinner
Who will win? Grigor Dimitrov
Who should win? Grigor Dimitrov
This is the most subjective award, so it’s not worth providing intensive analysis. With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal not in the running this year, it’s anyone’s game. Given that Dimitrov is the veteran of this bunch, he has the edge.
Coach of the Year
Craig Boynton (Hubert Hurkacz)
Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi (Jannik Sinner)
Juan Carlos Ferrero (Carlos Alcaraz)
Goran Ivanisevic (Novak Djokovic)
Bryan Shelton (Ben Shelton)
Who will win? Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi
Who should win? Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi
Hurkacz had a good year but failed to take the next step, which would have been making a serious run at a Grand Slam. Alcaraz was great again but not really better than he was in 2022. Djokovic won three slams but probably could have done so without Ivanisevic…or without any coach at all! Shelton was awesome at the Australian Open and U.S. Open, but he lacked consistency (plus his Aussie Open run came before his dad was his coach). It would be a big surprise if Sinner’s coaches don’t bring home the honors.
Players will also vote on the Tournament of the Year in three different categories: Masters 1000, 500, and 250. Coaches will vote on the Coach of the Year and fans will vote on the ATPTour.com Fans’ Favorite (both singles and doubles). The ATP will determine the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award.
who ya got?