Alcaraz Nominated For Laureus Sportsman of the Year After Sinner's Withdrawal
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Carlos Alcaraz received his first nomination for the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award. He was nominated after Jannik Sinner was withdrawn from the award this year.
There were two men who won all Grand Slam trophies in 2024. Sinner won the first major, Alcaraz won the following two, and the Italian player then won the last Grand Slam of the season. On top of that, the Spaniard won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Outside of the majors and the Olympics, Sinner dominated on the ATP Tour. The Italian player won 73 matches, which was enough to lift eight titles. He was by far the best player in 2022, barely losing matches, as he lost only six times.
As the year-end ATP World No. 1, Sinner was likely the top candidate to be nominated for the 2025 Laureus Sportsman of the Year award, but his name was withdrawn from the list of candidates a few days before the official nominations were published.
The reason for his withdrawal is obviously the Italian player's positive doping test, which happened during the 2024 Indian Wells Open. At the moment, he's serving a three-month suspension.
But even without Sinner among the nominees, there is still a tennis player who was nominated for the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award, as Alcaraz received a nomination.
The Spaniard also had a great year, but obviously not as successful as his Italian rival. Alcaraz won 54 matches and four titles, two of which were majors.
Alcaraz will be joined by four other nominees. Swimmer Leon Marchand, who won four Olympic gold medals in 2024, received his first nomination as well. Cycling phenomenon Tadej Pogacar was nominated for the first time as well.
Formula 1 superstar Max Verstappen was nominated for the fourth consecutive time. He won the award in 2022. Armand Duplantis was nominated for the fourth time as well, but he has never won the award before.
Alcaraz was one of the three first-time nominees, and he was very happy to be another tennis player who will try to win the award. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have both won this award five times in the past (joint most).
"Laureus has a special place in my heart and I am deeply honoured to be nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award. In 2023, I won the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award and – as if the evening could get any better – I also met Lionel Messi on the red carpet!"
"When I reflect on 2024, my mind goes to that incredible moment at Wimbledon when I picked up my second men’s singles trophy against Novak Djokovic, an athlete who has won this prestigious Award five times."
"The Laureus Awards celebrate the very best from the world of sport, and to be nominated for the Sportsman of the Year Award by the world’s media is an achievement and an incredible honour."
