Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka put tennis at the center of the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards on Monday in Madrid, with Alcaraz named World Sportsman of the Year and Sabalenka taking World Sportswoman of the Year. The ceremony came as the Madrid Open begins this week and was co-hosted by Novak Djokovic and Eileen Gu.
Alcaraz earned the honor after a stellar 2025 campaign that saw him finish the year as world No. 1. Laureus credited the Spaniard with Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros and the US Open, along with a run to the Wimbledon final, while also noting that he previously won Laureus Breakthrough of the Year in 2023. At 22, he became the youngest winner of the Laureus Sportsman award.
Sabalenka completed a clean sweep for tennis in the top individual categories after another dominant season at the top of the women’s game. Laureus said the Belarusian held the No. 1 ranking throughout 2025, defended her US Open title, reached the finals in Australia and France, and added WTA 1000 titles in Miami and Madrid.
Teenage Barcelona star Lamine Yamal was another of the night’s standout winners, taking the inaugural Laureus World Young Sportsperson of the Year Award. Laureus said the 18-year-old added a second Laureus trophy after winning Breakthrough of the Year in 2025.
Other major honors also went to Paris Saint-Germain as Team of the Year, Formula One champion Lando Norris as Breakthrough of the Year, Rory McIlroy as Comeback of the Year, Gabriel Araújo as Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, and Chloe Kim as Action Sportsperson of the Year.
Toni Kroos received the Sporting Inspiration Award, Nadia Comăneci was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Fútbol Más foundation earned the Sport for Good Award.
For tennis, the evening was a reminder of the sport’s global weight at the highest level. With Alcaraz and Sabalenka taking the two biggest individual prizes on the same night, the Laureus ceremony gave the clay-court season an extra jolt of star power just as attention shifts to Madrid and then Roland Garros.
