Laureus Awards 2015: Tennis’s Roger Federer, Serena Williams up for records
Tennis features strongly in the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards, with Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams nominated
Tennis has always featured strongly in the ‘Oscars of Sport’, the Laureus World Sports Awards, and this year is no exception, with Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, the Swiss Davis Cup team, Li Na and Marin Cilic all in the running for gongs.
The shortlists, which comprise six nominations in each of seven categories, are compiled from a ballot of the world’s sporting media and the winners are voted for by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 50 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time headed by Chairman Edwin Moses.
In the sportsman of the year category, Djokovic is up against the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rory McIlroy. He won the award in 2012 after a remarkable 2011 campaign that saw him win three Grand Slams and five Masters. Last year, he won Wimbledon and the World Tour Finals to end the year at No1 for the third time.
Williams and Li both feature in the sportswoman of the year list. Williams is going for her fourth Laureus Award: She won this category in 2003 and 2010, and also the Comeback Award in 2007, and is strong favourite after becoming the oldest ever No1 female in tennis and claiming her 18th Grand Slam at the US Open. She has subsequently went on to win her 19th in Australia.
Williams will is up against the emotional appeal of China’s Li, who won her second Grand Slam to reach a career-high No2 ranking in 2014, but had to retire due to persistent injury later in the year.
Cilic is shortlisted in the Laureus breakthrough of the year category, an award previously won by Andy Murray in 2013 and Rafael Nadal in 2006. Cilic won his first Grand Slam at last year’s US Open to reach a career-high No8.
The combination of Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka is shortlisted in two categories as leading lights in Switzerland’s first Davis Cup victory: Team of the Year and breakthrough of the year.
Federer won the sportsman of the year title for four consecutive years, 2005 to 2008. He looks to extend that Laureus record, though the Swiss are up against particularly formidable competition in the Team category: the European Ryder Cup team, the World Cup winning German football team, and Real Madrid football team.
The winners will be revealed at the Awards Ceremony in Shanghai on 15 April.
The runners and riders
Sportsman of the Year
Novak Djokovic, Tennis
Lewis Hamilton, Motor Racing
Renaud Lavillenie, Athletics
Rory McIlroy, Golf
Marc Márquez, Motor Cycling
Cristiano Ronaldo, Football
Sportswoman of the Year
Valerie Adams, Athletics
Marit Bjørgen, Nordic Skiing
Genzebe Dibaba, Athletics
Tina Maze, Alpine Skiing
Li Na, Tennis
Serena Williams, Tennis
Team of the Year
European Ryder Cup Team
Germany Men’s Football Team
Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team
Real Madrid Football Team
San Antonio Spurs Basketball
Switzerland Davis Cup Team
Breakthrough of the Year
Marin Cilić, Tennis
Mario Götze, Football,
Daniel Ricciardo, Motor Racing
James Rodriguez, Football
Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine Skiing
Switzerland Davis Cup Team, Tennis
Comeback of the Year Award
Francesco Acerbi, Football
Schalk Burger, Rugby
Diego Milito, Football
Jo Pavey, Athletics,
Pierre Vaultier, Snowboarding
Oliver Wilson, Golf
Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability
Shelley Gautier, Cycling
Tatyana McFadden, Wheelchair Racing
Roman Petushkov, Nordic Skiing
Anna Schaffelhuber, Alpine Skiing
Sarah Storey, Cycling
Yuk Wing Leung, Boccia
Action Sportsperson of the Year
Alan Eustace, Skydiving
Stephanie Gilmore, Surfing
Nyjah Huston, Skateboarding
Sage Kotsenburg, Snowboarding
Danny MacAskill, Trials Cycling
Gabriel Medina, Surfing
