Last year, Rafael Nadal won the first two Grand Slams of the season. At the 2022 Australian Open, he broke the tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, reaching 21 majors in the history of men’s tennis for the first time. He then won French Open for a record-extending 14th title, as well as clinched ATP 500 and an ATP 250 title.
His performance in first half of the season where enough to claim a nomination at the Laureus World Sports Awards in the Sportsman of the Year category. The 36-year-old has won the award four times in the past- two for Sportsman of the Year (2011 and 2021), and one for Breakthrough of the Year (2006) and Comeback of the Year (2014). Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz Registers 1st Win At Argentina Open After Injury
Apart from Rafael Nadal, two other tennis players are nominated for the award
Apart from Rafael Nadal, other tennis players, the likes of Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz, and Elena Rybakina also got nominated for the same award in different categories for the 2024 season. Other non-tennis players in the Sportsman of the Year category are Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Stephen Curry, Max Verstappen, and Mondo Duplantis.
Swiatek, the number one woman tennis player in the world, had a phenomenal season last year. She won a total of eight singles titles- two WTA 500 events, four WTA 1000 tournaments, and two Grand Slams– the French Open and the US Open. Also Read: “It’s Unbelievable,” Bjorn Borg On Rafael Nadal’s Training Routine
The two players from the Breakthrough of the Year category are Alcaraz and Rybakina. Alcaraz clinched five singles titles, including his maiden Grand Slam at the US Open last year and two Masters titles. On the other hand, Rybakina’s first Grand Slam also came at Wimbledon last year.
Meanwhile, 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has won the Laureus World Sports Awards for a record six times, while the 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams has won it five times. Nadal and Novak Djokovic have won it four times.
Also Read: Novak Djokovic Expected To Miss Out Indian Wells List
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