Roger Federer Bags Three More MOET Champagne ATP Year-End Awards, Shapovalov and Bryan Brothers Also Honored

By Ricky Dimon
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Updated: November 11, 2017

“I feel like I could share these trophies with everybody,” Federer on Comeback, Sportsmanship & Fans’ Fave in 2017 #MoetATPAwards

By Ricky Dimon

Roger Federer has won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award 1,398 times. And he has won it 1,398 times in a row. Okay, that may be an exaggeration. But still, death, taxes, and Roger Federer winning the ATP Tour’s sportsmanship award are the three certainties of life.

And as if it actually matters, the exact numbers are 13 times overall and seven in a row. The bottom line is: it’s a lot!

The 36-year-old also garnered two other end-of-year honors when they were announced earlier this week. He will be presented with three trophies in total at the upcoming Nitto ATP World Tour Finals in London: one for the sportsmanship honor, another as the Fans’ Favorite, and another for being named Comeback Player of the Year.

“I had a good year on and off the court,” Federer assured. “I tried to represent the game in the best possible way, but I am by far not the only guy. There are so many guys who carry themselves so, so well on and off the courts; same as Fans’ Favorite, there are so many guys who are super popular. So in a way I feel like I could share these trophies with everybody.”

The Swiss has not shared much wealth on the court, either, this season. He boasts a 49-4 record with two major titles (Australian Open and Wimbledon) plus additional wins in Indian Wells, Miami, Halle, Shanghai, and Basel. Federer will end 2017 at No. 2 in the world behind only Rafael Nadal after finishing 2016 at No. 16.

“The Comeback Player of the Year obviously is very special because it has felt like a big massive comeback for me after missing 7-8 months of the (2016) season, even if this one I feel I share a lot with the other players,” Federer explained. “Everyone who had a comeback has worked extremely hard, is happy to be back and healthy. Rafa also ranks supreme to me because not only did he come back, but he finished the year world No. 1. So there’s an asterisk for me. I’m happy to get it, but I feel like also other players deserve it.”

There was actually one award that Federer did not have bestowed upon him. The Most Improved Player honor went to Denis Shapovalov, who has climbed from No. 250 in the world all the way to 51st in 2017. Shapovalov, an 18-year-old from Canada, earned 11 of his 13 career ATP-level match victories this season, which included a semifinal performance at the Montreal Masters and a fourth-round run at the U.S. Open as a qualifier.

Bob and Mike Bryan, meanwhile, were named the doubles Fans’ Favorite for the 13th time in their careers. Horia Tecau, another doubles specialist, was named the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year.