November 5, 2013 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Two of the ATP World Tour’s rising stars were recognized in an on-court ceremony at London's O2 Arena as they received their ATP World Tour Awards, presented by Moët & Chandon. Jiri Vesely received the prize for the ATP Star of Tomorrow, presented by Emirates, while Pablo Carreno Busta's fellow players voted for him as The Most Improved Player of The Year.
"I started the year number 263; I never expected to make the Top 100,” said Vesely, who won his award for being the youngest player to have finished in the Top 100 on the Emirates ATP Rankings (as of 28 October). He broke into the Top 100 on July 8, two days before his 20th birthday, and reached a career-high 78th by August. He made his tour-level main draw debut as a qualifier at Roland Garros and also won three ATP Challenger Tour titles from five finals.
The 22-year-old Carreno Busta earned his award after climbing from a year-end 715th Emirates ATP Ranking last season to a career-high 66th in 2013, beginning with an impressive effort on the Futures Circuit that saw him win 35 straight matches and seven titles from eight finals. He also reached the Oeiras semifinals on the ATP World Tour and made his Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros. He excelled on the ATP Challenger Tour, going 4-0 in finals.
