Nadal, Alcaraz, Swiatek Nominated For 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina have been nominated in the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards.

The Laureus Awards are a highly-regarded ceremony held on behalf of the Laureus Sport for Good foundation. Every spring, they honour the world’s best athletes for their achievements in the previous calendar year via 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 clinched trophies at an ATP 250 in Melbourne and an ATP 500 in Acapulco, ending the year as the World No. 2. The Spaniard has been nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award.

WTA World No. 1 Swiatek lifted 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 have been nominated for the Breakthrough of the Year Award. The 19-year-old Alcaraz 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). The 23-year-old WTA star Rybakina won her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon.

Winners will be decided by 71 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy. The categories include Sportswoman of the Year, Sportsman of the Year, Team of the Year, Breakthrough of the Year, Comeback of the Year, Action Sportsperson of the Year and Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability. Nominations in these categories come from the 1400 members of Laureus' Global Media Panel.