MADRID: 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 pair were honoured after glittering 2025 campaigns that saw them finish atop the women’s and men’s tennis rankings respectively.

Spaniard Alcaraz, 22, reclaimed the year-end world number one spot after capturing two Grand Slam titles at the French Open and US Open, underlining his supremacy across surfaces.

However, the seven-time Grand Slam champion is going through a wrist injury and insisted on Monday that he might not defend his Roland Garros title in May but focus on recovering.

“I’d rather come back a little later but in great shape than come back early, rushing around, and unwell. God willing, I have a very long career ahead of me, many years, and pushing myself too hard at this Roland Garros could seriously harm me in future tournaments,” he said.Meanwhile, Belarusian Sabalenka, 27, stood alongside Alcaraz in the winners’ circle in New York and also reached the final in Australia and France, capping a season of relentless consistency.

With her triumph, Sabalenka joins a roll call of Laureus Sportswoman of the Year recipients 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 honours 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 ending an 11-year wait to complete the career Grand Slam with a playoff victory at the 2025 Masters, a title he defended in 2026.

Formula One’s Lando Norris was named World Breakthrough of the Year, while Paris Saint-Germain took World Team of the Year after a trophy haul in 2025 that included the French league and Cup plus their first Champions League crown.

The Laureus World Sports Awards nominees are selected by the global media, while the winners are determined by the 69 members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.

The awards have been presented annually since 2000.

Winners:

World Sportsman of the Year Award: Carlos Alcaraz; World Sportswoman of the Year Award: Aryna Sabalenka; World Team of the Year Award: Paris St-Germain; World Breakthrough of the

Year Award: Lando Norris;

World Comeback of the Year Award: Rory McIlroy; World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award: Gabriel Araujo; World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award: Chloe Kim; World Young Sportsperson of the Year Award: Lamine Yamal; Laureus Sporting Inspiration Award: Toni Kroos; Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award: Nadia Comaneci; Laureus Sport for Good Award: Futbol Mas.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2026