Established in 2000, the Laureus World Sports Award has honored the most prominent athletes in different categories, with some of the most established names fro the world of sport securing their names on the prominent list.
The Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year went to Tiger Woods in the first two editions, followed by Michael Schumacher and Lance Armstrong before Roger Federer took charge from 2005, rattling off four straight awards to write history.
Usain Bolt also secured four honors, together with Novak Djokovic who was the winner in 2019 following a stellar 2018 season that saw his return to the ATP throne. Rafael Nadal earned the Laureus in 2011 after lifting three Major crowns in 2010, having another chance to claim the honor for his 2019 performance, battling against Lewis Hamilton, Eliud Kipchoge, Marc Marquez, Lionel Messi and Tiger Woods.
In the end, Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi shared the award for the first time, finishing ahead of Rafa and preventing the third straight crown for tennis after it went to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the previous years.
Sidelined from the court since the US Open 2018 due to a knee injury, Rafa had to postpone the start of the last season a little bit, withdrawing from Brisbane and making a return at the Australian Open where he played on a high level again, reaching the final without losing a set before Novak Djokovic toppled him in straight sets.
rafael Nadal had to deal with injuries in Acapulco (wasted match points against Nick Kyrgios) and Indian Wells where he withdrew before Roger Federer clash with knee issues, heading to his favorite clay surface with no form or momentum after skipping Miami.
Fabio Fognini, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Rafa in the semi-final in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, forcing the clay-court king to find his best tennis in the remaining two events and defend at least some points from 2018.
With no room for errors, the Spaniard claimed titles in Rome and Roland Garros, earning 3000 points and spreading his reign in Paris to unmatched 12 years, keeping that level until the end of the season and opening the battle with Novak Djokovic for the best player of the season.
Roger Federer defeated Rafa in four sets in the semi-final at Wimbledon and Nadal was back at his best in Montreal and the US Open, adding 3000 points to his name and two significant titles to already impressive tally, becoming the favorite for the year-end no.