MONACO (AP) — South Africa flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit and England fullback Ellie Kildunne were named World Rugby's players of the year on Sunday.
Antoine Dupont was the best men's sevens player after helping France win the Olympic gold medal.
Du Toit, also the 2019 winner, became only the fourth men's player to win the award at least twice, after New Zealanders Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Beauden Barrett.
Despite the Springboks' policy of rotation, Du Toit showed his immense value by appearing in 10 of their 13 tests, and played the full game in eight of them. The double World Cup winner helped the Springboks win their first Rugby Championship since 2019 and achieve a first unbeaten autumn tour of Europe in 11 years.
He missed Saturday's tour-ending win against Wales in Cardiff because of a shoulder issue.
Du Toit was crowned ahead of teammates Eben Etzebeth and Cheslin Kolbe, and Ireland captain Caelan Doris.
Kildunne's award capped an impressive year in which she was also the Women's Six Nations best player.
In an unbeaten year with England, she won a Six Nations Grand Slam, retained the WXV1 title and scored 14 tries in 10 tests. She also had time to help Britain in the Paris Olympics sevens.
Also nominated were teammate and No. 8 Alex Matthews, France scrumhalf Pauline Bourdon Sansus and Canada flyhalf Alex Tessier.
Kildunne was the fourth England winner in the last five awards.
Erin King became the first Irishwoman to win an individual award when she was chosen the women's breakthrough player of the year.
King also went to the Olympics, and made her 15s debut only in September, when the back-rower helped Ireland finish second in the WXV1 after an historic win over world champion New Zealand.
All Blacks flanker Wallace Sititi was the men's breakthrough player. Sititi, the son of former Samoa captain Semo Sititi, debuted off the bench against Fiji in July, and made a huge impression in his first test start against South Africa in Cape Town in September, on his 22nd birthday. He was undroppable from then on; starting all seven remaining tests. He was the only All Black to start all five on their tour of Japan and Europe.
The coach of the year was Jerome Daret, for guiding the France men's sevens team to a first Olympic gold medal and first world series title. The France men, thanks to the injection of Dupont, had never previously medaled in the Olympics — didn't even qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Games — and its best previous finish in world series history was fourth.
Dupont skipped the Six Nations to prepare for the Olympic sevens, and lived up to his billing. He scored two tries in the final against defending champion Fiji.
Australia's Maddison Levi was the best women's sevens player. She scored 69 tries in the world series and another 14 at the Olympics.
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
France's Antoine Dupont runs during the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
FILE - England's Ellie Kildunne, left, and Canada's Julia Schell, right, vie for the the ball during the WXV 1 women's rugby union tournament, in Vancouver, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FILE - South Africa's Pieter-Steph du Toit, center, is challenged by Ireland's Bundee Aki, right, during a test match between South Africa and Ireland at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)
South Africa's Pieter-Steph du Toit goes over the line to score a try during the Autumn Nations series rugby union match between England and South Africa, at Twickenham, in London, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Jannik Sinner was in the locker room, getting ready to go on court and try to win a match that would give Italy its second Davis Cup title in a row, when his teammate, Matteo Berrettini, was asked about being so close to a championship.
Berrettini, who won the first match of the best-of-three final against the Netherlands on Sunday, refused to take anything for granted.
“I know tennis,” he said. “It’s unpredictable.”
Maybe most of the time it is. Not lately, though. Not when Sinner, who is just 23, is the one swinging a racket. He simply does not lose matches. Doesn't even cede a set nowadays. Wrapping up an eventful season that featured a 73-6 record and eight individual titles — including at the Australian Open in January, the U.S. Open in September and the ATP Finals a week ago — Sinner led Italy past the Netherlands for the Davis Cup with a 7-6 (2), 6-2 victory over Tallon Griekspoor.
“Jannik in this kind of form, this kind of shape, this kind of confidence — he’s incredibly tough to beat,” Griekspoor said.
Consider that Sinner just completed the first season by a man without a straight-set loss since Roger Federer in 2005. And what a way to finish: Sinner won his last 14 matches and his last 26 sets.
Go back a little further, and he's claimed 29 of his past 30 contests, with the only loss in that span coming against the other young player at the top of men's tennis, four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is 21.
“He just proved,” Berrettini said about Sinner, “that he’s the best in the world.”
Still, no discussion of Sinner’s 2024 should ignore what went on away from the court: In August, shortly before the U.S. Open began, he was exonerated after twice testing positive for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid in March.
The World Anti-Doping Agency's appeal of that ruling is still pending — and could remain that way throughout the upcoming offseason.
“I mean, of course it’s in the head a little bit. I always say, we had three hearings; three hearings which came out in a positive way. So hopefully also the next one (will),” Sinner said, adding that he is not concerned about the case.
“For me, the most important part is that all the people who are around me, and know me as a human being, trust me, no? That’s also the reason I kept playing the level I had," he said. "Of course, I had some ups and downs, and whoever knows me, (knows) I was emotionally a bit down and a bit also heartbroken. But sometimes life gives you difficulties and you just have to stand for it.”
Dutch captain Paul Haarhuis was asked for his take on Sinner's drug case.
“What’s my feeling? I feel that Jannik, in my personal opinion, is an unbelievable nice guy (and) great player,” Haarhuis said, “but we (might) never know what happened.”
There were only two, ever-so-brief moments on court where Sinner showed a hint of vulnerability Sunday.
One came when he was broken by Griekspoor to make it 2-all in the second, which got the Dutch fans roaring. Sinner's response? He won the four remaining games.
The other came as he was trying to serve out the victory from 5-2, 40-love. Three match points. Alas, they disappeared on two forehands into the net and a forehand long.
He reset and, two points later, was able to begin celebrating with his teammates.
“I knew it could be the last point of the year and I could finish an incredible season for me. This (Davis Cup) success means a lot to me, otherwise I wouldn’t have been here,” Sinner said, explaining that he lost a bit of focus. “I’m human. There are always emotions. No one is a machine.”
Berrettini, sitting a few seats away at their post-match news conference, shook his head.
“OK,” the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up said with a smile. “He showed he’s human.”
Italian tennis team members hold the Davis Cup trophy after the final between Netherlands and Italy at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, as Italy wins its second consecutive Davis Cup title, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Italy's Jannik Sinner, center, holds the Davis Cup trophy by teammates after the final between Netherlands and Italy at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, as Italy wins its second consecutive Davis Cup title, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates with team captain Filippo Volandri as he defeats Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor during the Davis Cup final tennis match between Netherlands and Italy at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
