Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka were crowned Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony held on Monday at the Palacio de Cibeles in central Madrid, capping a year in which tennis dominated both the rankings and the sporting headlines.
Alcaraz, the 22-year-old Spaniard from Murcia, claimed the men's award after a glittering 2025 season in which he won two Grand Slam titles — Roland Garros and the US Open — and six further ATP titles, finishing the year as world number one. He beat out a shortlist that included motorcyclist Marc Márquez, pole-vaulter Mondo Duplantis, cyclist Tadej Pogačar, fellow tennis player Jannik Sinner and footballer Ousmane Dembélé. Sabalenka, 27, the Belarusian who finished the season as undisputed WTA world number one, won her prize ahead of Spain's Aitana Bonmatí, swimmer Katie Ledecky and a trio of American athletes. In addition to her US Open title, Sabalenka reached the finals in Australia and France, building one of the most consistent seasons in recent women's tennis. She joins a distinguished list of Laureus Sportswoman of the Year laureates from her sport, including Serena Williams, Justine Henin and Naomi Osaka.
The ceremony, held for the first time with two athlete hosts — Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic and Chinese-American Olympic freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu — also handed out several other major prizes. Paris Saint-Germain, coached by Luis Enrique Martínez, were named World Team of the Year after an extraordinary 2025 haul that included their first UEFA Champions League title and five other trophies. Formula One's Lando Norris took the World Breakthrough of the Year award, while Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy received the World Comeback of the Year prize after ending an 11-year wait to complete golf's career Grand Slam with a dramatic playoff victory at the Masters in Augusta. Spanish teenager Lamine Yamal was named World Young Sportsperson of the Year. Toni Kroos received the Laureus Sporting Inspiration Award, and Romanian gymnastics icon Nadia Comaneci was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Alcaraz attended the gala wearing a prominent white wrist brace, the result of an injury that forced him to withdraw from the Barcelona Open last week and has cast doubt on his participation in Roland Garros, which begins in Paris on 18 May — a tournament he has won in each of the past two editions. Speaking on the red carpet, the Spaniard was cautious about his timeline. "I prefer to come back a little later and well, rather than come back quickly and in bad shape," he said, adding that a forthcoming medical test would be decisive. Djokovic, who was also present in Madrid earlier in the week, confirmed he will not compete at the Mutua Madrid Open due to a shoulder injury. The Laureus World Sports Awards, presented annually since 2000, see nominees selected by the global media and winners determined by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, making them one of the most broadly recognised honours in international sport.