Nadal collects year-end awards, others lag behind
Category: Tennis
Publish Date: 12-29-2010 07:00 PM -0500
Rafael Nadal has swept a host of year-end awards for his dominating season but other players have fared poorly in annual accolades.
Nadal has been voted the Spanish athlete of the year in a poll by El Pais and the Spanish athlete of the decade by Marca. In addition to recognition from Spanish newspapers, Nadal was also named L'Equipe Champion of Champions in France and won the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year in Britain. He was voted European Sportsman of the Year in a poll of 25 news agencies in Europe, beating out F1 champion Sebastian Vettel.
Roger Federer, meanwhile, came in third place for Swiss sportsman of the year, behind gold medal-winning ski jumper Simon Ammann and alpine wrestler Kilian Wenger. Federer was, however, voted the international athlete of the decade in Marca's poll.
Despite leading Serbia to Davis Cup victory, Novak Djokovic was not voted the Balkan athlete of the year, coming in behind Bulgarian wrestler Stanka Zlateva, who won gold in the world and European women's 72 kg championships.
Kim Clijsters was voted AP's female athlete of the year last year after winning the U.S. Open, but though she was again victorious in Flushing Meadows, this year's award went to skier and tennis fan Lindsey Vonn. Serena Williams was the highest-ranked tennis representative, coming in fourth. Clijsters did win Belgian sportswoman of the year.
No tennis players made the top five for AP's male athlete of the year, which went to New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
But Wimbledon quarterfinalist Yen-Hsun Lu did find himself voted Taiwan's man of the year in a poll which saw the country's president finish third.
