Tennis dominated the red carpet at the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony in Madrid, with Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka and Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz being crowned Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year, respectively. Both athletes topped the women's and men's tennis rankings after their 2025 campaigns, cementing their status as the world's leading players.
The 22-year-old Alcaraz reclaimed the year-end world number one spot by capturing two Grand Slam titles at the French Open and US Open, a feat that underscored his supremacy across different court surfaces. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Sabalenka stood alongside him as a champion in New York and also reached the finals in Australia and France, capping a season of relentless consistency and powerful performances.
With this triumph, Sabalenka joins an illustrious list of Laureus Sportswoman of the Year recipients from tennis, including Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Justine Henin, and Naomi Osaka. The Young Sportsperson of the Year award went to 18-year-old Barcelona and Spain forward Lamine Yamal, marking his second Laureus honor after being voted Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year in 2025, making him the youngest athlete to have won two Laureus awards.
The ceremony also saw German football great Toni Kroos receive the World Sporting Inspiration Award, while retired gymnast Nadia Comaneci was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. American snowboarder Chloe Kim took home the World Action Sportsperson Award, and Brazilian Gabriel Araujo was named World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability.
In a historic first for the awards, the event was hosted by two athletes—both former Laureus winners—Novak Djokovic and Eileen Gu. Last year's top honors went to gymnast Simone Biles and pole-vaulter Mondo Duplantis. Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy claimed the World Comeback of the Year Award after ending an 11-year wait to complete the career Grand Slam with a playoff victory at the 2025 Masters, a title he successfully defended in 2026.
Formula One driver Lando Norris was named World Breakthrough of the Year, and Paris Saint-Germain secured the World Team of the Year award following a trophy-laden 2025 season that included the French league and Cup, plus their first Champions League crown. The Laureus World Sports Awards nominees are selected by the global media, with winners determined by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. The awards have been presented annually since 2000.
Source: www.aljazeera.com