Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina have been nominated in the Laureus World Sports Awards 2023.
The Laureus Awards are a highly regarded ceremony held on behalf of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Each spring, they honor the world’s best athletes for their achievements in the previous calendar year with awards in eight categories.
Nadal enjoyed a historic 2022, winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros to move to a then-record 22 Grand Slam titles. The 36-year-old also claimed trophies at an ATP 250 in Melbourne and an ATP 500 in Acapulco, ending the year as world No. 2. The Spaniard was nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award.
WTA World No. 1 Swiatek has won eight titles in 2022, including major crowns at Roland Garros and the US Open. The 21-year-old is one of six nominees in the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year category, having also won trophies at WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami and Rome.
Spaniard Alcaraz and WTA star Rybakina were nominated for the Breakthrough of the Year award. The 19-year-old Alcaraz has won two ATP Masters 1000 crowns and captured his first major title at the US Open. He also became the youngest world No. 1 in the history of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings (since 1973). WTA star Rybakina, 23, won her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon.
The winners will be decided by 71 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. Categories include Sportsperson of the Year, Sportsperson of the Year, Team of the Year, Breakthrough of the Year, Comeback of the Year, Action Sportsperson of the Year and Disabled Sportsperson of the Year. Nominations in these categories come from the 1400 members of the Laureus Global Media Panel.