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Just half a season of remarkable performances from Rafael Nadal was enough for him to bag a nomination at the Laureus World Sports Awards in the Sportsman of the Year category. Iga Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz, and Elena Rybakina are the other three tennis candidates in different categories for the 2023 edition (which rewards displays in the previous year).
Last year, the Spaniard won the first two Grand Slams of the season for the first time in his glorious career. By winning the 2022 Australian Open, he broke a three-way tie with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic and became the first man to reach 21 Majors. At Roland Garros, he won a record-extending 14th title. He also won an ATP 500 and an ATP 250 title in the first two months.
The 36-year-old has previously won four Laureus World Sports awards — two for Sportsman of the Year (2011 and 2021) and one each for Breakthrough of the Year (2006) and Comeback of the Year (2014). This time, the other nominees in the Sportsman of the Year category are Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Stephen Curry, Max Verstappen, and Mondo Duplantis.
World No. 1 Swiatek, meanwhile, has been nominated in the Sportswoman of the Year category on the back of a phenomenal 2022 season, where she won as many as eight singles titles. The Pole triumphed in two WTA 500 tournaments, four WTA 1000 events, and two Grand Slams — the French Open and US Open.
Alcaraz and Rybakina, on the other hand, are competing against each other for the Breakthrough of the Year award. While the 19-year-old Spaniard lifted five singles titles, including his first Major at the 2022 US Open and two Masters trophies, Kazakh star Rybakina also won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2022 Wimbledon.
Dutch wheelchair tennis legend Diede de Groot, a former nominee in 2019 and 2020, has once again been nominated in the Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability category.
The record for the highest number of Laureus World Sports awards for both men and women belongs to the tennis world. 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer has been honored six times and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams has won five times. Nadal and Djokovic have four awards each.
Rafael Nadal is the favorite at French Open, says Mary Joe Fernandez
Speaking on the Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe podcast recently, former World No. 4 Mary Joe Fernandez stated that Rafael Nadal will be the favorite at Roland Garros as long as he plays. The Spaniard has won 14 titles in Paris so far, which is eight more than Bjorn Borg (six-time winner) in the second position.
"If Rafa's healthy, I'm still going to say Rafa," said. "Someone who wins the tournament 14 times, to me is the favorite every time they play, even if they haven't played all year. Until he stops playing he's going to be the favorite."
The sixth-ranked player is currently recovering from a hip injury that he picked up at the 2023 Australian Open.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
