Tennis ace Novak Djokovic celebrated back-to-back victories at the Laureus awards as Sportsman of the year for the second straight year and for the third time in his career, while Serena Williams capped another highlight in her impressive career after winning a record-equaling fourth Laureus World Sports Award. Serena, the world’s top women’s tennis player, was named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year again, after a sparkling 2015 in which she won three Grand Slams.
Laureus Academy Member Boris Becker, now Djokovic’s coach, said: “He had a great year again. He’s played 88 matches, has won 82, He won three out of the four Grand Slams, along with seven other tournaments. Very few players, if any, had a year like that.”
There was a special posthumous Laureus Spirit of Sport Award to celebrate the life of Johan Cruyff, who died in March. It was received by his son Jordi Cruyff. On a glittering evening in Berlin that recognized the outstanding sporting achievements of 2015, rugby was the other big winner with the All Blacks taking the Laureus Team Award and Dan Carter receiving the Laureus Comeback of the Year Award, following the team’s Rugby World Cup success.
To the delight of the Berlin audience, Germany’s Jan Frodeno, the first man to win both the Ironman World Championship and an Olympic triathlon gold medal, was presented with the Laureus Action Sports Award, while golfer Jordan Spieth won the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award.
The Laureus World Sports Awards are the premier honors on the international sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of more than 50 of the greatest living sportsmen and sportswomen. The Laureus World Sports Awards supports Laureus Sport for Good by showcasing the incredible work it does to transform the lives of individuals and communities around the world by using the power of sport as a tool to combat challenging social issues. Laureus Sport for Good has helped to improve the lives of millions of young people in over 35 countries and is proving that sport can change the world.
Laureus is a universal movement that celebrates the power of sport to bring people together as a force for good. Laureus is composed of three core elements – the Laureus World Sports Academy, Laureus Sport for Good and the Laureus World Sports Awards – which collectively celebrate sporting excellence and use sport as the means to promote social change.
