Words: April Tod
This year’s annual British Tennis Journalist Awards lunch took place in the All England Club’s in Centre Court’s Debenture Lounge and was attended by 180 guests from the world of tennis.
This year 22 year old Jack Draper was named Player of the Year 2024 in recognition of his amazing results throughout the season that saw his world rankings reach a career high of 15, the youngest British player to have achieve this.
He claimed his first piece of silver by winning Stuttgart in June and claimed his second ATP title in Vienna four months later to win two ATP 500 tournaments and reach a new high world ranking of 15.
His most notable achievement was reaching his first Grand Slam semifinals at the US Open.
His growth throughout the year has only underlined his resilience. He ends 2024 as one of the top players in the world, achieving a breakthrough he sought out from the very beginning.
AWARDS AND TRIBUTES
The winner of BTJA Service to Tennis Award was won by 37 year old Andy Murray who is recognised for his significant contributions to the sport throughout his extraordinary career.
He is Britain’s most successful tennis player in the open era winning two Wimbledon titles and two Olympic Golf medals.
However, the path Andy choose to the very pinnacle of the sport was not an easy one and along the way there were serious hurdles to clear, most notably later in his career when he required specialist surgery.
Throughout his stella career one thing remained: a ferocious competitive spirit that refused to be broken no matter the setback.
Tributes were also made to Mike Dickson, the Daily Mail’s tennis correspondent who died unexpectedly in January, Alan Jones, the former coach of top tennis player Jo Durie and John Curry, a former Chairman of the AELTC.