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Tennis played a starring role at the 2021 Laureus World Sports Awards as Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka won the top honors in the male and female category respectively.
Nadal picked up the Sportsman of the Year award after a remarkable season in 2020, during which he lifted the Roland Garros title for a record-extending 13th time. The Spaniard defeated long-term rival Novak Djokovic in the final at Paris, in the process also equaling Roger Federer's all-time record of 20 Grand Slam titles.
This is Rafael Nadal's second Laureus Sportsman of the Year award; he had also won the prestigious accolade in 2011. The other nominees for the award this year were Robert Lewandowski, Lewis Hamilton, LeBron James, Joshua Cheptegei and Armand Duplantis.
Naomi Osaka, meanwhile, asserted her dominance on hardcourts in 2020, reaching the final at the Western & Southern Open and winning the US Open title. The Japanese then returned to the tour on the hardcourts of Melbourne in 2021, where she won her second Australian Open title and fourth Slam overall.
Osaka also made a remarkable impact off the court, playing a prominent role in the Black Lives Matter movement that swept the United States last fall. The 23-year-old has, in the time since, continued to show support in the fight against social injustice.
The other nominees for the Sportswoman of the Year award were Breanna Stewart, Federica Brignone, Anna van der Breggen, Wendie Renard and Brigid Kosgei.
First-time Grand Slam champions Dominic Thiem and Iga Swiatek were both nominated in the Breakthrough of the Year category, but they lost out to NFL player Patrick Mahomes. Thiem won the 2020 US Open after coming up short in the first three Grand Slam finals of his career, while Swiatek remarkably triumphed at Roland Garros last year to become the first Polish player to win a Major.
Equalling Roger Federer's Grand Slam record has been an unforgettable moment for me: Rafael Nadal
Following his victory, Rafael Nadal put out a statement that was displayed during the virtual ceremony of the Laureus World Sports Awards. The Spaniard laid particular emphasis on the work of his fellow nominees, and singled out his Roland Garros win as the highlight of his year.
"It means a lot to me to receive this amazing trophy... I had some amazing competitions next to me so I have to congratulate them at the same time, to the rest of the sportsmen that probably deserve this trophy," Rafael Nadal said.
"For me personally, of course achieving the 13th Roland Garros, and equalling the 20th Grand Slam of Roger Federerhas been an unforgettable moment," he added.
If you have a platform I think it's very important to use it: Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka work off the court was specifically highlighted by Laureus, in addition to her on-court triumphs. Upon receiving the award, Osaka claimed that she would continue to try and make a difference to society, and impact as many people as she could.
"I am so happy to receive this award," Naomi Osaka said. "Looking ahead my main hopes for the future would be to have helped or impacted as many people as I could. You know, if you have a platform I think it's very important to use it."
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