Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek among Laureus Awards nominees

Established in 2000, the Laureus World Sports Award has honored the most prominent athletes, with some of the most established names from the world of sport securing their names on the distinguished list.

Since the first edition in 2000, six tennis players have won two leading awards for Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Roger has five Laureus awards by his name, followed by Novak Djokovic, who stands on four. Rafael Nadal earned the Laureus in 2011 after lifting three Major crowns in 2010.

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'I respect Rafael Nadal as a player and person,' said Iga Swiatek

He will have another chance to claim the honor for his 2020 performance, battling against Joshua Cheptegei, Armand Duplantis, Lewis Hamilton, LeBron James and Robert Lewandowski. The Spaniard was in contention in the previous year, too, finishing third behind Lionel Messi and Lewis Hamilton, who shared the top prize.

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'To repeat what Roger Federer and Monica Seles did is fantastic,' said Osaka

Due to the coronavirus, Nadal didn't play many tournaments in 2020, but still doing enough to finish in the top-2 for the record-breaking 12th time. Rafa saved his best tennis for beloved Roland Garros, securing the 13th Parisian trophy without losing a set and joining Roger Federer on 20 Major titles. The US Open champion Naomi Osaka is a contender for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award. Dominic Thiem and Iga Swiatek are competing in the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award category after their first Major titles.