Though he takes home the Best Male Tennis Player title at the 19th Annual ESPY Awards, the Spanish star loses the Best Male Athlete trophy to Dallas Mavericks player Dirk Nowitzki.
- Jul 14, 2011
AceShowbiz - Rafael Nadal has tasted victory over Roger Federer once again. This time, it came from off-court. The world's No. 2 tennis player bested over the former world's No. 1 at the 19th Annual ESPY Awards as he was announced the winner of Best Male Tennis Player on Wednesday night, July 13.
While he successfully took over the title from Roger, 25-year-old Nadal didn't sweep clean his nominations. The Spanish star lost the Best Male Athlete trophy to Dallas Mavericks star player Dirk Nowitzki, who became the first NBA player to win the category since Michael Jordan in 1993.
One of the big winners, Dirk said in his acceptance speech, "I'm so humbled and honored by this. It's been an unreal year for all of us on the Mavericks." The 33-year-old athlete, whose NBA team won Best Team, has also scored another kudo as he beat the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James for Best NBA Player.
Other big winners included Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay. Tim won Best Championship Performance and Best NHL Player, while Roy grabbed hold onto Best MLB Player and Best Moment. Skier Lindsey Vonn also had a memorable night as she earned back-to-back Best Female Athlete awards.
This year's ESPY Awards was once again hosted by Seth Meyers, who took the role for a second consecutive year. It also saw NBA's rookie of the year Blake Griffin winning the Breakthrough Athlete. Justin Bieber was one of the presenters on the special night.
- Best Male Athlete: Dirk Nowitzki, NBA
- Best Female Athlete: Lindsey Vonn, Skiing
- Best Championship Performance: Tim Thomas, Stanley Cup Finals
- Best Breakthrough Athlete: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
- Best Record-Breaking Performance: Rory McIlroy, U.S. Open
- Best Upset: VCU, NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
- Best Game: Eagles rally to beat the Giants, NFL
- Best Moment: Roy Halladay Postseason No-Hitter, MLB
- Best Team: Dallas Mavericks
- Castrol Edge Performance Under Pressure Award: Arian Foster, Houston Texans
- Best Sports Movie: "The Fighter"
- Best Coach/Manager: Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks
- Best NFL Player: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay
- Best MLB Player: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia
- Best NHL Player: Tim Thomas, Boston
- Best Driver: Jimmie Johnson
- Best NBA Player: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
- Best WNBA Player: Diana Taurasi, Phoenix
- Best Fighter: Manny Pacquiao
- Best Male Golfer: Rory McIlroy
- Best Female Golfer: Cristie Kerr
- Best Male Tennis Player: Rafael Nadal
- Best Female Tennis Player: Serena Williams
- Best Male College Athlete: Jimmer Fredette, BYU Basketball
- Best Female College Athlete: Maya Moore, Connecticut Basketball
- Best Male Action Sport Athlete: Shaun White, Snowboarding
- Best Female Action Sport Athlete: Stephanie Gilmore, Surfing
- Best Jockey: John Velasquez
- Best Male Athlete with a Disability: Anthony Robles
- Best Female Athlete with a Disability: Mallory Weggemann
- Best Bowler: Jason Belmonte
- Best MLS Player: Landon Donovan, Los Angeles
- Best Track and Field Athlete: Tyson Gay
