Bonmati and Djokovic collect the big awards
SPORTS AWARDS
Spain’s World Cup-winning midfielder Aitana Bonmati was named the Sportswoman of the Year, while Serbia’s Novak Djokovic captured the top men’s honour at the Laureus awards ceremony yesterday.
Bonmati took home two awards, as the Spanish women’s football team were named Team of the Year, the first female squad to win the award.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady handed Djokovic his fifth Laureus award after the top-ranked tennis player enjoyed a remarkable 2023.
The Serb equalled Margaret Court’s all time record haul of 24
Grand Slam titles after winning US Open last September.
Djokovic contested all four major finals in 2023, also winning the Australian and French Opens. He was the runner-up at Wimbledon.
New Zealand para cyclist Nicole Murray was named a a finalist for the World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, which went to Dutch wheelchair tennis star Diede de Groot.
In 2023, de Groot won 53 matches in a row and was the best in all four Grand Slam tournaments: Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open.
Murray won a world title and rainbow jersey on the track during the UCI Cycling world championship in Glasgow and is ranked third in road and second in track competition for C5 women.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham, who has taken Laliga by storm in his first season with Real Madrid, was named the Breakthrough Player of the Year, the first footballer to win this award.
The Laureus World Sports Awards nominees are selected by the global media, while the winners are determined by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.
The awards have been presented annually since 2000.
● The winners:
World Sportswoman of the Year: Aitana Bonmati
World Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic
World Team of the Year: Spain
Women’s Football Team
World Breakthrough of the Year: Jude Bellingham
World Comeback of the Year: Simone Biles
World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Diede de Groot
World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Arisa Trew
Laureus Sport for Good: Rafa Nadal Foundation.