Watch Rafael Nadal, Alex de Minaur, Katie Boulter, Carlos Alcaraz, and Laureus ambassador Garbine Muguruza make appearances on the red carpet at the ceremony in Madrid
For the fifth time, Novak Djokovic has been named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.
Watch Rafael Nadal, Alex de Minaur, Katie Boulter, Carlos Alcaraz, and Laureus ambassador Garbine Muguruza make appearances on the red carpet at the ceremony in Madrid.
After yet another season that will go down in tennis history, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year winner for the sixth time in his career.
Rafael Nadal and Diede de Groot, two other tennis players, were also presented with awards during the glamorous ceremony that took place on Monday at the Galería de Cristal in Madrid, with Djokovic earning the highest accolade of the evening.
Djokovic achieved a record-tying 24 Grand Slam singles victories last year after winning his 10th Australian Open, 3rd Roland Garros, and 4th US Open crowns.
“Winning my sixth Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award is an enormous honor for me. I remember winning it for the first time as a twenty-four-year-old in 2012. It gives me great pride to be here, twelve years later, looking back on a year that was full of success and excitement for both me and my supporters.
“I could not have achieved so much success without an incredible team behind me, and inspirational rivals who have always pushed me to be the best version of myself.”
In 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2019, Djokovic was also named the World Sportsman of the Year winner.
“What makes these awards so coveted in all of sports is to earn the votes of my sporting heroes,” he continued.
The NFL great Tom Brady presented the award, and the Serbian emerged victorious over sprinter Noah Lyles, Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen, pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, and soccer players Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi.
In terms of the most times a tennis player has won the category, Djokovic now ties five-time champion Roger Federer. Federer also received the World Sportsman of the Year award in 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2019.
De Groot, the Dutch wheelchair tennis champion, won the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability title last year after winning her third consecutive calendar Grand Slam. Her record now stands at an incredible 14 major singles victories in a row.
Muguruza presented Diede de Groot with the 2024 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.
Tennis has made me grin the most since I was a young child. In her victory speech, De Groot stated, “It gave me a different path to follow when I was a teenager, and suddenly tennis became my job.”
But wheelchair tennis only recently opened my eyes to the fact that this was a unique experience. It allowed me the opportunity to grow every day and inspire a great number of people worldwide.
“With the biggest smile on my face, I can do anything, and so can all the other Diedes out there on their own journey,” This honor serves as both a reminder and a motivator.
Former world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza, who just announced her retirement from competition and her new position as Laureus ambassador, gave De Groot the trophy.
For their efforts with Fundación Rafa Nadal, Rafael Nadal and his spouse, María Francisca Perelló were given the Laureus Sport for Good Award.
In the meantime, the Laureus Sport for Good Award was given to creator Rafael Nadal and director María Francisca Perelló for their efforts with Fundación Rafa Nadal, which was established in 2010 and uses sports and education to support over 1,000 young people in need in Spain and India.
The Foundation said in a statement, “Receiving this award is a recognition of all the teams, all the collaborators, and of course all the beneficiaries who have been a fundamental part of our work during these years.”
It motivates us to go with even greater vigor and resolve. We’ll keep using athletics as a vehicle for change, opportunity creation, and constructing a more promising future for everybody.
Other honorees included World Cup champion Spanish Women’s National Football Team and Aitana Bonmati, a soccer player from Spain, who was named Sportswoman of the Year. Simone Biles, an American gymnast, was named Comeback of the Year.
Other athletes present included Carlos Alcaraz, who gave Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham the Breakthrough of the Year award after taking home the title himself the previous year.
View further red carpet and ceremony photos from Madrid’s 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards:
Garbiñe Muguruza, Laureus ambassador, is pictured on the left, answering questions from the media with Martina Navratilova. Del Piero and Muguruza delivered the Team of the Year Award.
