World No.1 Novak Djokovic has been named Sportsman of the Year at the Annual Laureus Awards in recognition of his stellar return back to the top following injury.
Djokovic fought off competition from nominees such as Rafael Nadal and Cristiano Ronaldo. The award comes in light of his recent dominance on the tour. Djokovic returned to action in January 2018 following a six-month absence due to an elbow injury. Shortly after returning, he had to undergo another surgical procedure on his elbow. Despite the setbacks, Djokovic regained his form in June. Within the past eight months, he has won three grand slam trophies and two Masters 1000 titles. At the end of 2018 he became the oldest year-end No.1 player in the history of the ATP Tour at the age of 31 years and 223 days.
“A Laureus Award is what every athlete wants to win, and this one is a huge honour for me. Being among so many sporting greats here tonight, and hearing about the inspirational work Laureus is doing around the world, gives this Award a special meaning for me.” Said Djokovic.
“Last year was an incredible season for me, returning from injury to win Wimbledon and the US Open is something I’ll remember forever. I am delighted and I would like to thank the Laureus Academy for their support.”
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) February 18, 2019
Established in 2000, the Laureus Awards celebrates the best sporting achievements in the world. The ceremony consists of seven categories with each nominee getting shortlisted by a panel of the world’s media. The winners are then selected by legends of global sport: members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.
Djokovic’s return back to the top of the men’s tour hasn’t been without it’s difficulties due to a troublesome elbow injury that has hindered him in the past. Less than 12 months ago, he was ranked outside of the world’s top 20 and struggling for consistency. Reflecting on how he managed to turn events around, Djokovic praised the support he received from his wife Jelena. Admitting that he previously contemplated walking away from the sport for good.
“I would like to thank my wife for taking time and for presenting me in a different light and I think that the rare occasions we can share our personal journeys and who we are behind the curtain and I think you’ve done it much better than I would do it,” he said.
“Your support has been tremendously significant to me in those moments when I was questioning everything, when I was going through my doubts and dilemmas whether I want to keep on playing tennis. And yes I did think about leaving tennis and I did think about everything else and I just didn’t find myself in a good balance in life at that point.
“I did feel like I let myself down when I had surgery — you were right — and it took me several months to find that purpose, find the meaning again.”
https://twitter.com/DjokerNole/status/1097614411206778880
In what he describes as a ‘fairytale journey,’ the 15-time grand slam champion said he had to work hard to conquer his mental demons. Addressing the crowd during his trophy presentation, said what he faced adversity he had to ‘look inside’ to find a solution.
“I’ve had to do a lot of inner engineering as I like to call it, especially in the last 15 months, coming back from a major injury and having surgery and being very inpatient and anxious to come back,” he said.
“And then being on the verge to leave the racquet aside and now I’m standing in front of you and reflecting on that journey, it seems like a fairytale story but it tells me one thing.
“In those moments when you’re facing adversity and feeling challenged, you should look inside because that’s where the answer lies. I did not understand that fully, I had heard that before but I think when I went through this journey I understood what this means and I now know where I can always find strength and motivation to keep me going.”
Djokovic has won the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award for the fourth time in his career. Only Roger Federer (five) has won the title more times than him.
It was fitting that we gave the last words of #Laureus19 to an athlete who epitomises so much of what we admire in our sporting heroes.
What a speech @DjokerNole… pic.twitter.com/kQpZm5RK1M
— Laureus (@LaureusSport) February 18, 2019
Djokovic’s performance since June (after French Open)
Aegon Championships (Queens) – runner-up
Wimbledon – champion
Canadian Masters – R3
Cincinnati Masters – champion
US Open – champion
Shanghai Masters – champion
Paris Masters – runner-up
ATP Finals – runner-up
Qatar Open – semi-finals
Australian Open champion
Osaka also shines
Elsewhere at the award ceremony, two-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka was named Breakthrough Athlete of the year. Becoming the first tennis player to receive the honour since Andy Murray back in 2013. Osaka has earned the award after winning back-to-back major titles at the US Open and Australian Open. During 2018 the 21-year-old also won the Indian Wells title and reached the final of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
“I want to give a huge thank you to the Laureus Academy for giving me the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award,” Osaka said in a video message. “I want to thank my coaching staff and my family for being with me for these entire years.”
Osaka is the first Asian player – male or female – to reach the top of the world’s ranking in the history of tennis. She is now also the first Japanese athlete to win a Laureus award.
The world No.1 is playing in this week’s Dubai Tennis Championships after recently separating from her coach Sascha Bajin. She will play Kristina Mladenovic in her opening match on Tuesday.
https://twitter.com/ITF_Tennis/status/1097571795031474177
