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Federer bags two awards, Nadal wins 'Player Of The Year' honour

By RobPeterson (TennisEarth.com), Submitted On

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Swiss superstar Roger Federer bagged the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the record-tying fifth time at the 2008 ATP WORLD TOUR AWARDS. Stefan Edberg himself had won the award five times in eight years. The awards were announced here in Miami yesterday declaring Federer as ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favourite for the record sixth consecutive time, thereby giving the swiss ace a double-delight.

Later on, an elated Federer thanked the fans and supporters for the dual honours- “It is great to receive two more awards. It is always important for me to be a good sportsman on the court and give the right example for others to follow and hopefully inspire the next generation. It also means the world to me to be the fans’ favourite player for the sixth year in a row. The support I receive from the fans around the world is so motivating and it is humbling to receive this award once again."

The prestigious 'Player of the year' award went to the 'Mighty Mallorcan' Rafael Nadal, who duly deserved the top honour as a result of a powerhouse performance throughout the year, winning Wimbledon, French Open and Masters Series Titles in Monte Carlo, Hamburg and Toronto. The Spaniard also won the Gold Medal at Beijing Olympics.

Nenad Zimonjic and Daniel Nestor were declared the 'Doubles team of the year' for their extraordinary run throughout the year, winning titles in Wimbledon, Hamburg, Toronto, Queen's and finishing the wonderful season with an year-end Masters Cup crown. The ATPWorldTour.com Fans’ Favourite Doubles team award though went to their stiff competitors, the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike.

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who rose from World No. 43 to No. 6 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, was adjudged the 'Most Improved Player of the year', whereas rising Japanese star Kei Nishikori won the accolades for the 'Newcomer of the year' award for his phenomenal jump from No. 281 to 63 in the singles rankings.

The 'Comeback of the Year' award was given to former Australian Open runner-up Rainer Schuettler who saw his rankings elevate from No. 155 to No. 30. With a nagging Knee Injury and momonucleosis that continued to hamper the last three seasons of the German star, a comeback into the major player's arena seemed next to impossible, but after some brave semifinal and quarterfinal finishes, Schuettler managed to enter the list of top 30 players in the South African Airways ATP rankings.

Finally, the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award went to American James Blake, who won the hearts of millions with his humane efforts to contribute to the research of Cancer. Blake announced the creation of the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Research Fund with a mission to raise $ 1 million during the 12 months period with the help of a series of charity exhibition matches called the Anthem LIVE !