Ahead of the upcoming Mutua Madrid Open at the Caja Mágica, tennis will feature prominently with Novak Djokovic poised as a key figure.
The world number one is vying for his fifth Laureus Award, aiming tomatch Roger Federer’s record as the most decorated male sportsman in this category.
Djokovicpreviously clinched the award in 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2019. His exceptional performance in 2023, highlighted by seven titles including three Grand Slams (Australian Open, Roland Garros, and US Open) along with victory at the ATP Finals, earned him another nomination.Djokovic was also a Wimbledon finalist and finished the year as the world’s top-ranked player for the eighth time.
The ‘Big Three’ of tennis -Djokovic, Federer, and Rafael Nadal- have dominated this Laureus category, with Nadalbeing the most recent tennis player to win in 2021 (his second Laureus after 2011).
This year, Djokovic faces tough competition from fellow nominees Lionel Messi, a two-time winner (2020 and 2023), and Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen, who secured the award in 2022.
Athletics is represented by Armand Duplantis, the pole vault world record holder and a nominee in 2021 and 2023, alongside Noah Lyles, a triple world gold medalist (100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay), both seeking their first Laureus statuette. Norwegian football sensation Erling Haaland also represents soccer among the nominees.
