Tennis ruled the red carpet in Madrid on Monday as Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz were crowned Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year at the Laureus Awards.
The duo were honored after stellar 2025 campaigns that saw them finish top of the women’s and men’s tennis rankings respectively.
Spaniard Alcaraz, 22, reclaimed the world number one spot at the end of the year after capturing two Grand Slam titles at the French Open and US Open, underscoring his supremacy in all fields.
Belarusian Sabalenka, 27, meanwhile, stood alongside him in the winners’ circle in New York and also reached the finals in Australia and France, capping a season of ruthless consistency.
Complete list of winners of the Laureus Awards 2026:
Winners: World Sportsman of the Year Award: Carlos Alcaraz
World Sportswoman of the Year Award: Aryna
World Team of the Year Award: Paris St Germain
World Breakthrough of the Year Award: Lando Norris
Award for World Comeback of the Year: RoryMcIlroy
World Athlete of the Year with a handicap award: Gabriel Araujo
World Action Athlete of the Year Award: Chloe Kim
World Youth Athlete of the Year Award: Lamine Yamal
Laureus Sporting Inspiration Award: Toni Kroos
Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award: Nadia Comaneci
Laureus Sport for Good Prize: Futbol Mas
With her triumph, Sabalenka joined a roll call of Laureus Sportswoman of the Year winners from her sport, including Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Justine Henin and Naomi Osaka.
In a first for the awards, the ceremony was hosted by two athletes – both former Laureus winners – Novak Djokovic and Eileen Gu. Last year’s top honors went to gymnast Simone Biles and pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis.
MCILROY TAKES COMEBACK PRIZE
Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy claimed the World Comeback of the Year Award after waiting 11 years to complete the Grand Slam career with a play-off win at the 2025 Masters, a title he defended in 2026.
Formula 1’s Lando Norris was named World Breakthrough of the Year, while Paris St Germain won World Team of the Year after winning trophies in 2025, including the French league and cup, plus their first Champions League crown.
The nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards are selected by the global media, while the winners are determined by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.
The prizes have been awarded annually since 2000.
Published on April 21, 2026
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