The WTA has announced the winners of the annual year-end tournament and player awards, voted for by the players themselves.

In addition, members of the WTA Coach Program voted for the first ever WTA Coach of the Year.

The tournament awards are divided into four categories (WTA Premier Mandatory, WTA Premier 5, WTA Premier, WTA International), winners receive recognition from the players due to the excellence of their staff and organization, passionate fans, and dedication to the sport and its athletes.

The 2018 tournament awards winners:

• WTA Premier Mandatory: BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells)
•  WTA Premier 5: Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Rome)
• WTA Premier:St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy
• WTA International: Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open

Since it was introduced in 2014 for Tournaments of the Year, 2018 marks the fifth year in a row (10th overall) that Indian Wells has been voted as winner in the Premier Mandatory category, as well as Rome’s third consecutive triumph in the Premier 5 category.

In the Premier classification, St. Petersburg obtains the award for the first time since the tournament’s come back, while Hong Kong also receives the award for the first time as the best International tournament of 2018.

In this category, Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC and the extinct Bell Challenge,

lead the list of winners with eight awards each.

Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova receives the Karen Krantzcke Sportsmanship Award for the sixth successive year and seventh time overall. This honor is granted to a player who conducts herself in a manner fitting of a professional sports figure and observes the rules of fair play, shows respect for others and is gracious on and off the court.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States earns the Peachy Kellmeyer Player Service Award for the first time in her career, recognizing the work she has done to support her fellow players as well as other initiatives on behalf of the general player population.

Sascha Bajin, coach of Naomi Osaka, becomes the first winners of the WTA Coach of the Year Award, which is given to the coach with not only success on the court, but also one who serves as an ambassador of the sport and brings coaching to the forefront of the game.

In their first year together, Bajin helped bring Osaka’s game to new heights, as she won her first WTA title at the BNP Paribas Open and claimed her first Grand Slam title at the US Open after defeating Serena Williams.

Rafael Nadal showed early potential, but it was until the spring of 2005 when he made clear he was destined to write his name with capital letters in tennis history.

The young Spaniard, only 18 years of age, got to the Monte Carlo finals for the first time. Prior to his first appointment with history, Nadal became the youngest player to win a Davis Cup, defeating Andy Roddick in four sets during the second match of the 2004 finals. At the end, Spain prevail 3-2 against the United States to take home the victory.

After the victory in Sao Paulo, Nadal appeared in Acapulco, defeating his fellow countrymen Alex Calatrava and Santiago Ventura, and then, the Argentines Guillermo Cañas and Mariano Puerta. The final was played against another Spainard, Albert Montañés, Rafa Nadal finished with a victorious match for the win of Abierto de Tenis, his first major title and the third of his rising list of victories.

Weeks later, in Miami, Nadal and Roger Federer, then unbeatable, played to the fifth set, allowing   Rafa to show that his attitude, delivery and game would eventually become the Swiss antagonist par excellence. “We will see much more of him in the future,” said Federer, who had won three of the last four Grand Slam titles. “It was a very important game for me because I know that Rafa will be a great tennis player one day”.

That “some day” came much sooner than expected. Nadal defeated players with much more experience in Monte Carlo that year, including Guillermo Coria in four sets during the final. “Yes, it’s a title in a big tournament. The first, right? “Nadal said. “Everyone will remember this title and everything that has happened, but my goal is to improve my tennis and improve my shots. I need to improve my service, volley and slice. And if I do, I think I can win more matches, right? ”

As the weeks went by, Nadal conquered Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and – debuting in the main draw – Roland Garros, his first Grand Slam.

In that season, Nadal would eventually win a total of 11 titles, setting two records at once: his personal best in a year and the best campaign of any teenager, beating the nine titles of Mats Wilander in 1983. He also became the first teenager to finish as No. 2 in the world since Boris Becker in 1986, also achieving the best position for a Spanish tennis player in history.

Thirteen years later, the script has undergone few changes. The splendid Monte Carlo marked, again, the beginning of something special for Nadal.

After a start marked by the injuries that stopped him from playing Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami, Nadal stablished the goal of returning to the courts during the clay season. Without much more expectations than returning to his rhythm of play, Nadal shone again as anyone on the clay courts. He started by winning the eleventh title in Monte Carlo, continued with the eleventh in Barcelona, ​​the eighth in Rome and as top of the ice cream, he won the eleventh at Roland Garros.

The final played in France this year did not tell us anything new about Nadal, it just improved his reputation as the best player who has played on clay in all history. 11 titles in the last 14 years. Unreal from all perspectives.

However, something extraordinary happened in Paris during those days.

As the dominant champions age, there is a nostalgic feeling with each victory. At the same time, there is a need for a worthy rival, a surprise winner who can begin to write his own success story. There were some injuries, some annoying defeats, and slowly a narrative was constructed, that Nadal was about to dethroned.

Nadal’s opponent in the Parisian final, Dominic Thiem, gave example of what a worthy heir might be. Thiem is a clay court specialist who has reached the semifinals in Paris in the last two years and the final in 2018; is someone who knows what it is to defeat Nadal in clay on three occasions, although never in a match of five sets. The final of Roland Garros could have served to pass the crown. But Nadal, at 32 years of age, continues in full force and only he will decide when he will give opportunity to someone else to succeed in his kingdom.

Nadal burst onto the scene in 2005 as the supervillain of tennis fighting the superhero Roger Federer. 14 years have passed and since then neither of them has yielded. And if Federer reached 20 Grand Slam titles, Nadal is approaching with 17. In the process of becoming the biggest and longest rivalry, the villain has become a hero.

Another season of the ATP World Tour has finished. The players will be on holidays before the new season begins, it is valid to review the champions of the ATP 500 tournaments.

With 13 tournaments disputed on three continents (America, Europe and Asia), the ATP 500 category gave much to discuss since its first tournament in Rotterdam, until the last one played in Basel.

Roger Federer – ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

Roger Federer conquered the tournament number 97 of his career after winning 6-2, 6-2 to the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov. Beyond a new trophy, Rotterdam represented Federer’s return to the world number 1, after five years and 106 days.

After defeating Robin Haase in the quarterfinals, Federer dethroned Rafael Nadal from the top to become the oldest player to reach No. 1 in the world ranking.

Federer, also holds the record of 20 Grand Slam titles, won Rotterdam for the third time in his career, after the 2005 and 2012.

Diego Schwartzman – Rio Open (Río de Janeiro, Brasil)

Defeating Fernando Verdasco in two (6-2, 6-3), Diego Schwartzman was proclaimed champion of the 2018 Rio Open, and lifted his second trophy as a professional player after Istanbul in 2016.

With the 500 points achieved in Rio, Schwartzman, 25, went from No. 23 to 18 in the world rankings, achieving his best position since his debut in in 2010.

Roberto Bautista – Dubai Tennis Championships (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

The Spaniard Roberto Bautista obtained his second title of the season after winning in two (6-3, 6-4) against the French Lucas Pouille.

After defeating Juan Martin Del Potro at the beginning of the season in Auckland, Bautista, 29, won his first ATP 500 title. “It’s a very special tournament for me and I’ll keep it forever in my heart. I am happy to have won an ATP 500”, said. “I have worked a lot this last month and I have been able to handle emotions well. I’m raising my level and I hope it’s a great year. I hope to play even better in the remainder of the season. I had been pursuing the title of a 500 all my career. Of course it’s my best victory”.

With his victory in Dubai, the Spaniard added his name to a very exclusive list of champions. Since 2003, Roger Federer won seven titles, Novak Djokovic won in four occasions and the other four are shared between Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick. All of them Grand Slam champions.

Juan Martín del Potro – Abierto Mexicano Telcel presented by HSBC (Acapulco, Mexico)

In 2006, with 18 years of age, he appeared for the first time in Acapulco and fell in the first round against Albert Montañés. In 2015 his return to AMT was announced, but a painful injury on his wrist stopped him from playing. In 2017 free of injuries, he returned to Acapulco. He won the first round beating Frances Tiafoe but fell in second round against Novak Djokovic. Finally, in 2018 as a favorite to the locals, Juan Martín del Potro won for the first time the Mexican Tennis Open after defeating three Top 10 on the way to the title: Dominic Thiem (quarterfinals), Alexander Zverev (semifinals) and Kevin Anderson (final).

“From the beginning until the end it was a fantastic week, very nice on and off the court, I felt very comfortable here. Thank you very much for everything, Acapulco”, said Del Potro. “I’m going to keep this prize in a special place and with a lot of love, because it’s something that many players want and it’s not easy to have it. It’s a very important tournament because of the quality of the players I had to face”.

Rafael Nadal – Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (Barcelona, España)

Rafael Nadal, number one in the world, won for the eleventh time tournament in Barcelona after winning in two (6-2, 6-1) against Stefanos Tsitsipas, 19 years of age and currently No. 63 in the world ranking.

De esta forma, el español logró el título 55 sobre arcilla y el 77 de su carrera, además de ampliar en su momento a 46 su récord de sets ganados de forma consecutiva sobre tierra batida. En Barcelona, el de Manacor llegó a 401 partidos ganados sobre su superficie predilecta por sólo 35 derrotas.

With this trophy the Spaniard holds 55 titles on clay and 77 of his career, in addition, it extended his record to 46 sets consecutively won on clay. In Barcelona, he reached 401 games won on his favorite surface by only 35 defeats.

“Thank you all for making the tournament so special and especially my family, who has been with me even when things have not been so easy”, Nadal said. “I never dreamed of making a career like the one I have.”

Borna Coric – Gerry Weber Open (Halle, Germany)

Surprising everyone, Borna Coric, 21years of age, defeated Roger Federer in three (7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-2) to become the new Gerry Weber Open champion, winning his second ATP title, the first ATP 500 of his career.

Federer, who was defending the title he has won nine times, gave the No. 1 Rafa Nadal. Halle was the seventh time that the Swiss lost a final on grass. He previously had been defeated by Nadal (Wimbledon 2008), Lleyton Hewitt (Halle 2010), Tommy Haas (2012), Andy Murray (2012 Olympics), and Novak Djokovic (Wimbledon 2014 and 2015).

Marin Cilic – Fever Tree Championship (London, England)

Saving a match point and turning the adverse marker into his favor, Marin Cilic conquered for the second time the ATP 500 of London in Queen’s Club, defeating Novak Djokovic in three (5-7, 7-6(4) and 6-3).

Djokovic, whose last title, before this final, was in Eastbourne 2017, fell for the second time in the Queen’s final. The first time was in 2008 after Rafael Nadal defeated him in two (7-6(6), 7-5).

Cilic recovered from a match point and an adverse 1-4 in the tie break during the second set: this is his second victory in Queen’s after the one in 2012, when he defeated the Argentine David Nalbandian.

Nikoloz Basilashvili – German Open (Hamburg, Germany) 

Nikoloz Basilashvili (81 in the world rankings) was crowned champion in the ATP 500 of Hamburg after defeating in a very disputed encounter Leonardo Mayer (36 in the world rankings).

After two hours and 14 minutes of play, Basilashvili dethroned the defending champion, I took three set (6-4, 0-6, 7-5) to take the victory in hamburg, being this his first ATP title, previously he had won five tournaments of the Challenger category.

Gracias a la victoria en territorio alemán, el georgiano de 26 años ascendió al puesto 35 del ranking.

Thanks to the victory in German territory, the 26-year-old climbed to 35th place in the world rankings.

Alexander Zverev – Citi Open (Washington, United States)

Alexander Zverev prevailed 6-2,6-4 against the Australian Alex de Miñaur to obtain, for second year in a row, the victory in Washington, and maintaining the third place in the world, which was threatened by Juan Martin del Potro, who fell that same weekend to the Italian Fabio Fognini in the final of Los Cabos.

The final between two players of the so-called “NextGen” was the consummation of a milestone in the US tournament, for the first since Buenos Aires 1995, four players under 21 reached the semifinals in an ATP tournament. Zverev and De Miñaur, together with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev.

Washington is the third title in 2018 for Zverev, who had to play against his brother Mischa. Also, he became the first tennis player to pass over 40 victories in the year. Matching Roger Federer and Fognini with three titles in this season.

Nikoloz Basilashvili – China Open (Beijing, China)

Nikoloz Basilashvili won his second professional title and the second of ATP 500 by defeating in two (6-4, 6-4) the Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in the final of the China Open.

Basilashvili, was ranked 82 in the world, but after Beijing he reached 23^rd in the position in the world rankings. “I was in great shape during the tournament. I felt very good on the court. Playing against Juan, even with the flu that markedly affected his performance, was a great challenge, “said the Georgian.

Daniil Medvedev – Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships

The Russian Daniil Medvedev won his first big title at the ATP 500 in Tokyo after defeating the Japanese Kei Nishikori in two (6-2, 6-4).

Medvedev did not give a single set in the tournament, eliminating Argentine Diego Schwartzman, Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov.

The next week after his triumph, Medvedev appeared in the ranking 22, the best position of his career, and became the best Russian tennis player in it.

In this way, the 22-year-old Russian lifted the third title of his career and the first ATP 500 category, after winning at Winston-Salem and Sydney this season. In 2017 he reached the final of Chennai.

Kevin Anderson – Erste Bank Open (Vienna, Austria)

The South African Kevin Anderson, finalist of the AMT 2018 and rank eighth in the world, won the title of Vienna by defeating Japanese Kei Nishikori (11 °) in two (6-3, 7-6 (3)), assuring his presence at the Nitto ATP Finals in London.

With 13 aces, Anderson, finalist of Wimbledon this year, added the fifth title of his, secured his participation in the tournament that closes the season and reunites the best eight players in the world.

Nishikori, who had the advantage by 4-2 in previous encounters, could not break the South African’s service, who saved the two break opportunities that the Japanese had during the hour and 55 minutes of match.

Roger Federer – Swiss Indoors (Basel, Switzerland)

Every time Roger plays, he makes history, making new records and extending his legacy. On October 28^th, at the Basel Open, the last ATP 500 of the season, Federer was proclaimed champion for the ninth time and reached 99 singles titles throughout his career.

In the match for the title, Federer defeated the Romanian Marius Copil by 7-6 (5) and 6-4, after one hour and 34 minutes of play.

This was the 14^th final for Federer in Basel. In this tournament he holds 20 consecutive victories. Its last defeat was in  2013, against the Argentinean Juan Martín del Potro.

After 118 years of history, the Davis Cup has come to an end, at least in the traditional format. Croatia, with Marin Cilic’s help, will be remembered as the last country who conquered the tournament’s last edition. They disputed the last of four points, against France representative Lucas Pouille (7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-3), a success that allows them to forget the disappointment occurred in Zagreb against Argentina two years ago.

Two years later, Cilic, current number seven in the world, redeemed himself at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille against Pouille, the player with the best ranking of the French team, chosen at the last minute by Yannick Noah instead of Jeremy Chardy.

Cilic had a tough first set, where he had two break points, it had to be defined in tie break, where Croatia was more solid, and took advantage on the scoreboard.

The Croatian number one was gaining confidence, and little by little he imposed the conditions to set the pace of the match.

Breaking in the sixth game of the second set, Cilic put out the local’s spirit and turned on the euphoria of the Balkan fans, including President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.

The taste of glory increased after the Balkan broke his rival service in the fifth game of the last set.  In the ninth game and with Cilic in service, the Frenchman Pouille saved two match points, but the Croatian, with a lob, ended the match.

Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic were the main responsible of Croatia’s first Davis Cup championship. Thirteen years later Croatia was crowned champion again, with Marin Cilic and Borna Coric as main actors.

Croatia writes the last chapter of the old format of the Davis Cup.  2019 will witness the new format, the tournament will be played in Madrid during a single week in November, where the 18 best nations will meet.

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer are the three players that have been no. 1 throughout 2018, and have shared the top three spots for seven occasions since 2014.

In addition to the achievements of the top three players, ATP Tour stated on its website that there were five changes in the top ten places. Among them, we find the finalist of the AMT 2018, the South African Kevin Anderson (No. 6), and the American John Isner (No. 10), who ends the season inside the top ten for the first time.

Between the players who returned to the top ten in 2018 are Djokovic (who finished 12^th in 2017), Juan Martin del Potro, and Kei Nishikori (who went up from No. 22 to No. 9).

ATP Tour also points out that for the first time in the history of the world rankings, there are players from five different regions of the planet. There are six players from Europe, while Africa, Asia, North America, and South America have only one representative each.

ATP Tour 2018 season highlights:

• Novak Djokovic (31) finished as number one in the world for the fifth time (2011-12, 2014-15, 2018). This also extends the Big 4´s dominance to 15 years since Federer achieved it in 2004 for the first time.
• Rafael Nadal finished in the Top 10 for the fourteenth consecutive year, matching Federer’s best record (2002-15). It is also the tenth time that Rafael finished as No. 2.
• Roger Federer is the oldest player (37) to finish No. 3. He has previously finished 14 times in the top three (five times No. 1, six times No. 2 and three times No. 3).
• Alexander Zverev is the youngest player (21) to finish in the ‘Top 4’ for the second occasion since Djokovic did it in 2007 and 2008, and the first German since Boris Becker in 1994 – 95.
• Juan Martín del Potro finished in the ‘Top 10’ for the first time since 2013 in 2018, and matched his best outcome in 2009 and 2013.
• John Isner (2.08 m) and Kevin Anderson (2.03 m) are the tallest players in history to finish in the Top 10 as leaders. There are five players that reach at least 1.98m in the Top 10, including Alexander Zverev, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Marin Cilic.

There is a record of 7 players that are 30 years or older in the Top 10. There are also five players that are 23 or younger finishing with their best outcome in the rankings yet, between No. 11 and No. 20.  The group is led by No. 11 Karen Khachanov (22), No. 12 Borna Coric (22), No. 14 Kyle Edmund (23), No. 15 Stefanos Tsitsipas (20), and No. 16 Daniil Medvedev (22).

Alexander Zverev won over Novak Djokovic at the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday, has also finished the year among the Top 4 in the ATP Rankings for a second straight season.

After a victory over Roger Federer on Saturday on the semifinals, Zverev finished the best season of his career by becoming the youngest winner of the Masters Cup since Djokovic claimed it for the first time in 2008. He is also the first German champion since Boris Becker in 1995

“This is the biggest title of my career so far”, said Zverev. “This trophy means a lot, everything, to all the players. I mean, you only have so many chances of winning it. You play against the best players only. How I played today, how I won it, for me, it’s just amazing”.

Djokovic, sought to equal Roger Federer with six titles as top winners of the competition. He dominated the second half of the season, winning Wimbledon, Cincinnati, US Open and Shanghai, also snatching the No. 1 from Rafael Nadal.

Zverev, considered the best Next Gen, has already won three Masters titles (Rome, Montreal and Madrid), but his repeated disappointments in the Grand Slam tournaments had raised doubts about if he could succeed in the most demanding scenarios.

In his eighth tournament since teaming up with Ivan Lendl, Zverev reflected on the influence of the former World No. 1.

“My Dad is the one that taught me the game of tennis. My dad deserves the most credit out of everyone… I’m very thankful to him for that. Obviously [with] Ivan, the experience he has on and off the court, is amazing. That helped me, as well, to kind of play the two matches that I played back-to-back now”, said Zverev.

Djokovic seemed unstoppable, since Wimbledon, but on this match,  he wasn’t at his best shape. Since he was defeated by Marin Cilic in June, he had only lost three matches, all by the hands of Next Gen Players:  Stefanos Tsitsipas (Toronto), Karen Khachanov (París-Bercy) and now Zverev.

Zverev recovered from a 6-4, 6-1 round-robin loss to Djokovic on Wednesday. He is the first player since 1990 to beat the top two seeds.

Zverev defeated Djokovic with his consistency and service. The German was confident and precise in every shot. His game was, at some point, closet to perfection.

Unbeatable during the group stage and without major difficulties in the semifinal against Kevin Anderson, Djokovic reached the final without a single break in 36 games. But Zverev, broke it four times. The final was a contrast of what happened during round robin, when Zverev won just five games. Zverev said he didn’t know what to expect from the crowd. “Yesterday I felt I had done everything right, to be honest, following the rules and how it should have been, but the reaction of the crowd was not too good for me”. The match was even until Djokovic served 3-4 in the first set. From 30-30 he committed two consecutive fore hand errors to drop his service for the first time. In the next game, Zverev served three consecutive Aces.  Statistics at the end of the first set favored Zverev. The German lost only four points with his service and made 21 winning shots.

Djokovic was again in trouble in the first game of the second set. A winning service shot saved Zverev’s first break point, but in the second game Djokovic missed the typical point where he is always expected to win, while the German worked in a position of strength before break the Serbian’s forehand.

When Djokovic played 1-1 and 15-15, he scored a forehand at the end of a 27-shot rally, which gave the impression of leaving him exhausted

Djokovic was 3- 5, 15- 40, he managed to save the first match point but then a strong back hand from Zverev gave him the victory. Zverev dropped to his knees and celebrated the accomplishment, the Serbian congratulated him in a big hug.

Djokovic, said that Sascha deserved the victory, later he acknowledge that maybe the efforts made during the second half of the season have reached him. He also said that during the last couple of weeks he wasn’t at his best shape.

The ATP and Tennis Australia officially presented the ATP Cup, a new team competition to kickstart the men’s tennis season from 2020.

The new tournament, was announced during the Nitto ATP Finals in London, it will be played across three Australian cities over ten days in the lead up to the Australian Open and will feature teams from 24 countries.

The event sees the return of an ATP team competition into the calendar for the first time since the ATP World Team Cup, which was held in Dusseldorf from 1978-2012.

This tournament represents the initiative by ATP to innovate in the sport, it will ensure every season starts with an event with global profile. The 2020 ATP Cup will offer US$15 million in prize money and up to 750 ATP Rankings points to the winner.

“This new event fits perfectly with our strategy to innovate and look towards the future. We know from our extensive discussions with the players that the ATP Cup will provide a great way for them to open their season – bringing together the world’s best for a major team event that compliments existing scheduling, provides highly-coveted ATP ranking points and clearly links to the Australian Open. The first week of the season is when the players want to play and that’s why the tournament has their strong support. By staging the event with Tennis Australia, which is renowned for its experience as an outstanding event promoter, we know that the tournament will be a great success from year one” , stated Kermode, ATP Tour president.

Tennis Australia CEO, Craig Tiley stated: “This is an amazing opportunity, in close collaboration with the players and the tour, to deliver a globally impactful event that further elevates the sport and the fan interest in it”.

“We want to keep growing tennis, give the players an environment where they can perform to the best of their abilities and then ensure they are appropriately appreciated and rewarded. This event will help us all achieve that while connecting with new generations of tennis fans. It will provide a new source of inspiration for young athletes to choose our sport”, added Tiley.

The introduction of the tournament, during the first week of the year means that some of the events will be rearranged. Doha will remain the same to offer the players who won’t be at the ATP cup, the opportunity to earn ATP points. Pune´s tournament will be rescheduled one week after The Australian Open.

World No. 1 and President of the ATP Player Council Novak Djokovic was among the players who joined ATP Executive Chairman & President Chris Kermode and Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia, to reveal the details of the competition.

Djokovic, who finished 2018 as No.1 for a fifth time, stated: “I like that it’s owned by ATP, by the players, and that we have ranking points, and it’s going to be the best way to kick start the season. Australia is a country that has a Grand Slam, that nurtures tennis tradition. More than 90 per cent of the time we’re playing as individuals and we don’t have too many team events. This is going to bring together a lot of nations and for me personally it will be a very nice and proud moment to represent my country.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas ended the season brilliantly after recovering from a set down to defeat the Australian Alex de Minaur in the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

Tsitsipas, ranked 15^th in the world, acquired the title after defeating De Minaur in a 1 hour and 41 minutes match (2-4, 4-1, 4-3(3), 4-3(3)). It’s the second title under Tsitsipas name this season, after Stockholm back in October.

Tsitsipas, who was announced this year’s “Most Improved Player”, rose from a season-opening ATP Ranking of No. 91 to end the season as the youngest member of the Top 20. He also finished runner-up in Barcelona and Toronto, falling to Rafael Nadal on both finals

The Greek got the title after five consecutive victories this week and replaced Hyeon Chung as NextGen champion.

“It feels great. I’ve been playing some great tennis this week here in Milan”; Tsitsipas said.

“It was a fantastic match. I stayed calm although I had a chance twice to win the match but remained calm. I was aiming to win that match. I was mentally very strong and that was proven in the tie-break in the last set”.

The Aussie Alex de Minaur climbed from No. 208 in the ATP Rankings to his current standing of No. 31.

De Minaur took the first set, but Tsitsipas answered with his best tennis to win the next three sets.

In the fourth set, Tsitsipas was on the verge of victory with a 3-2, 30/40 lead on De Minaur’s serve. But after the Greek missed an inside-in forehand, De Minaur hit a lunging backhand volley to save his second match point and force a tie-break.

The Australian sent a strong forehand, but this time Tsitsipas didn’t let slip his third match point.

“No regrets”, De Minaur said. “You often are going to play a lot of tie-breaks, and he played well when he needed to. In the big points, he used his serve well and I probably just missed a couple forehands here and there, and that was the difference. But overall, I am very happy with my performance. I mean, all credit to Stefanos. He was a better player today.”

I’m very happy it’s over. It’s been a long season, a season I’ll never forget. I’ve played some incredible tennis throughout the whole year and both mentally and physically, I feel like it’s time to take a break,” De Minaur said. “But [I’m] really proud with myself, and I really owe it all to the team of people I’ve put around me.”

Over the weekend, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas and the British Kyle Edmund won their first ATP World Tour titles in Stockholm and Antwerp, respectively.

These victories offered the fans a glimpse into the future.

Since 2004, when Rafael Nadal “bit” his first trophy, no season has had so many first-time champions. With the triumphs of Tsitsipas and Edmund, the list of players who have lifted a trophy for the first time in 2018 has increased to 13.

This year also marks the first time since 2006 that nine champions are under 25 years old. Frances Tiafoe and Stefanos Tsitsipas, members of #NextGenATP, are the youngest singles champions of this year. Both players have already qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, which will be held from November 6^th  to 10^th.

To keep the tradition started in 1973, ATP world Tour has announced the nominees for this year´s Awards. Fans, players and coaches can vote in the different categories for their favorites.

Comeback player of the year, elected by the players, it’s given to the player who has overcome serious injury and re-established himself as one of the top players on the ATP World Tour. The nominees are: Novak Djokovic, Jason Kubler, John Millman and Kei Nishikori.

Also voted exclusively by the players is the most improved player of the year given to the player who reached a significantly higher ATP Ranking by year’s end and who demonstrated an increasingly improved level of performance through the year. The nominees are: Marco Cecchinato, Alex de Minaur, Kyle Edmund and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Newcomer of the Year: The #NextGenATP player who entered the Top 100 for the first time in 2018 (ATP Ranking as of 15 October) and made the biggest impact on the ATP World Tour this season. The nominees are: Alex de Minaur, Ugo Humbert, Hubert Hurkacz, Michael Mmoh and Jaume Munar.

Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award: The player who, throughout the year, conducted himself at the highest level of professionalism and integrity, who competed with his fellow players with the utmost spirit of fairness and who promoted the game through his off-court activities. The nominees are: Kevin Anderson, Juan Martín del Potro, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Tournaments of the Year, also voted by the players, is the tournament in its category that operated at the highest level of professionalism and integrity and which provided the best conditions and atmosphere for participating players. The categories: ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500 and ATP World Tour 250

The fans will vote for their favorite player. In this category singles players and doubles team participate.

ATP Coach of the Year nominated and voted on by fellow ATP coach members, this award goes to the ATP coach who helped guide his players to a higher level of performance during the year.

Chosen By ATP, Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award, that will be given to the person who has made outstanding humanitarian contributions. Previous winners include former South African President Nelson Mandela, Arthur Ashe, Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and 2017 recipient Horia Tecau.

Determined by the rankings, the player who ends the year as World No. 1 in the ATP Rankings and the team that ends the year as World No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings, will be rewarded.

Winners for the 2018 ATP World Tour Awards Presented by Moët & Chandon will be announced ahead of the Nitto ATP Finals that will be held in London from November 11^th – 18^th.

The singles player and doubles team receiving the highest number of votes from ATPWorldTour.com fans from now through 2 November. 11.59 pm (GMT).

To vote for your favorites visit the link below:

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/atp-awards-2018-fans-favourite