Three leading tennis stars past and present have been honoured in an end of year awards list recognising sports best athletes - but there is a snub for the WTA's World No.1
The AIPS Athlete of the Year Award - a gong chosen by sports journalists from 113 countries around the world instituted by the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) - have picked Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Ons Jabuer in their top ten athletes from 2022.
Argentina's World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi topped the male category with Spanish footballer and Ballon d'Or Feminin Alexia Putellas winning the female award.
However, Iga Swiatek did not feature on the list despite dominating the women's scene for most of 2022 much to the disappointment of her fans.
Swiatek has been the top-ranked women's player since April, registering a record 37-match winning streak while also winning the French Open and US Open titles.
Serena Williams, who chose to 'evolve away' from tennis after playing at the 2022 US Open, received 170 votes while Naomi Osaka received 172 votes despite a disappointing season.
WTA World No. 2 Ons Jabeur won 154 votes as a result of which she finished tenth.
In the male category, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal placed ninth and tenth respectively.
The snub will come as a minor blow to Pole Swiatek, who is widely expected to continue to dominate the female tour this year starting with the Australian Open, an event she reached the semi-finals of last year.
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