Tennis has always featured strongly in the ‘Oscars of Sport’, the Laureus World Sports Awards, and this year was no exception. Indeed, 2017 offered up a bumper harvest of tennis stars, and among the eight nominations, one player, Roger Federer, featured twice.
He arrived in Monte Carlo, where the Laureus Awards were inaugurated in 2000, as one of the big favourites to set another new record following what became a record-breaking 12 months.
Already, the 36-year-old tennis great was one of only three champions to have won four Sportsman or Sportswoman of the Year awards, and the only one to have done so in consecutive years, from 2005 to 2008—during which span he set his record run of 237 consecutive weeks at No1.
Remarkably, almost a decade later, he returned to the glittering event back at No1, and poised to win a fifth statuette, maybe even a sixth, after his outstanding comeback season in 2017. Because given that Federer was already 34 when he had knee surgery in 2016, and was forced off the tour for a full six months before his triumphant return in Australia, he was also nominated in the Comeback of the Year category.
Federer was joined by Rafael Nadal in the Sportsman of the Year category, perhaps no surprise as both men returned from extended injury absences during 2016. Ranked just 17 and nine respectively, they went on to share all four Majors last year, and claim five of the sport’s nine Masters titles. Along the way, Federer won a record eighth Wimbledon without dropping a set, and extended his record Major tally to 19—since up to 20—and Nadal won a record 10th French Open.
The two renewed their 13-year rivalry in their first Major final in six years at the Australian Open, and Federer would go on to beat the Spaniard in all four of their 2017 meetings.
But the balance was perhaps tipped in Federer’s favour in the Academy’s voting not just because of his age but because he began 2018 in similar style, unbeaten in the Hopman Cup, Australian Open and Rotterdam, thus becoming the oldest No1. Sure enough, he claimed the prestigious Sportsman of the Year award for the fifth time—about an hour after picking up the Comeback Award as well.
He held it together, just, in his acceptances speeches, but made it clear:
“This means the world to me.”
However, Federer was not the only 36-year-old tennis superstar up for an award. Serena Williams was nominated in the Sportswoman of the Year category after winning her 23rd Major title in Australia last year to regain the No1 ranking.
She went on to give birth to her first daughter fewer than eight months later, and is expected to return to the main tour next month. She was not in Monaco for the event itself, which was a pity, since she picked up an unprecedented fourth Sportswoman gong.
Winners 2018
Laureus Sportsman of Year: Roger Federer
Mo Farah, Lewis Hamilton, Rafael Nadal, Cristiano Ronaldo, Chris Froome
Laureus Sportswoman of Year: Serena Williams
Fellow nominees: Allyson Felix, Katie Ledecky, Caster Semenya, Mikaela Shiffrin, Garbine Mugurza
Laureus Team of Year: Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team
Fellow nominees: French Davis Cup tennis team, Golden State Warriers, New Zealand America’s Cup Sailing team, New England Patriots, Real Madrid
Laureus Breakthrough of Year: Sergio Garcia
Fellow nominees: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Antony Joshua, Caeleb Dressel, Kylian Mbappe, Jelena Ostapenko
Laureus Comeback of Year: Roger Federer
Fellow nominees: FC Barcelona, Valentino Rossi, Justin Gatlin, Sally Pearson, Chapecoense
Laureus Sportsperson of Year with a Disability: Marcel Hug (marathon),
Fellow nominees: Bibian Mentel-Spee (snowboard), Oksana Masters (cross-country skiing), Yui Kamiji (wheelchair tennis), Jetze Plat (ironman), Markus Rehm (long jump)
Laureus Action Sportsperson of Year: Armel le Cleac’h (sailing)
Fellow nominees: John John Florence (surfing), Nyjah Huston (skateboard), Mark McMorris (snowboard), Anna Gasser (snowboard), Tyler Wright (surfing)
Laureus Best Sporting Moment (public vote): Eternal Champions
Fellow nominees: Billy Whizz is Back, Brave Bradley’s Fight, Wave for the Kids, When Tears Turn to Smiles
The Academy’s discretionary awards include this year:
Laureus Exceptional Achievement Award: Francesco Totti
Laureus Sport for Good Award: ActiveCN
Laureus Sporting Inspiration Award: J J Watt
Laureus Exceptional Achievement Award: Edwin Moses
Tennis honours at Laureus Awards since 2000
Roger Federer: Sportsman of Year five times, Comeback of Year once
Serena Williams: Sportswoman of Year four times, Comeback of Year once
Rafael Nadal: Sportsman of Year once, Breakthrough of Year once, Comeback of Year once
Novak Djokovic: Sportsman of Year three times
Marat Safin: Breakthrough of Year once
Andy Murray: Breakthrough of Year once
Goran Ivanisevic: Comeback of Year once
Jennifer Capriati: Sportswoman of Year once, Comeback of Year once
Kim Clijsters: Comeback of Year once
Martina Hingis: Comeback of Year once
Justine Henin: Sportswoman of Year once
Amelie Mauresmo: Breakthrough of Year once
Esther Vergeer: Sportsperson of Year with a Disability twice
Selection process
• The six nominees in each category are selected following a ballot by the world’s sports media.
• The winners are voted for by members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, which comprises over 60 living legends of sport, including Franz Beckenbauer, Sergey Bubka, Sebastian Coe, Nadia Comaneci, Kapil Dev, Cathy Freeman, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Ruud Gullit, Chris Hoy, Kip Keino, Edwin Moses, Martina Navratilova, Steve Redgrave, and Mark Spitz.