Carlos Alcaraz rubs shoulders with Messi as he wins Laureus World Sport Award

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A happy Carlos Alcaraz

Young tennis star Carlos Alcaraz was honoured at the Laureus World Sport Awards on Monday, 8 May.

US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz earned the World Breakthrough of the Year award and the famous event.

In a great 2022 season, Alcaraz won the US Open and became the youngest ever men’s world No 1 at 19 years, 4 months and 6 days.

He also became the first teenager in the Open Era to top the men’s rankings.

A day after his 19th birthday, at the Madrid Open, the Spanish sensation beat Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on successive days, becoming the first player ever to beat the icons of the game back-to-back on clay.

In addition to his Grand Slam win at US Open and Masters triumphs in Madrid and Miami, he also won the Rio Open and the Barcelona Open in a simply sensational season.

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was also nominated in the same category as Alcaraz alongside figure skater Nathan Chen, golfer Scottie Scheffler, athlete Tobi Amusan and the Moroccan national football team.

In the top sportsman award, Rafael Nadal had been nominated, but the Spaniard made it known that he felt that Messi should win the award and that is how it panned out.

Nadal had a strange but nonetheless brilliant 2022 campaign marked by injuries and chronic problems as well as huge news on the personal front as he and his wife welcomed their first child.

Nadal won the Australian Open and the French Open, his 21st and 22nd career Grand Slam victories to momentarily surpass Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the winner of most men’s singles Major titles.

His remarkable French Open win was a record 14th and came as he turned to painkilling injections to ensure he could somehow limp to a title that was beyond belief.

After Nadal won the 2022 Australian Open, he became the just the fourth man, along with Roy Emerson, Rod Laver and Novak Djokovic, to win all four majors at least twice – the Double Career Grand Slam.

Nadal has twice won the top award from Lareus and was also honoured as the breakthrough athlete of the year in 2006 and made the comeback of the year in 2011.

In the sportswoman of the year award, Iga Swiatek missed out to Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

in 2022, Swiatek Won the French Open and US Open titles and had an unbeaten run of 37 straight victories, which ended at Wimbledon when she lost to Rybakina.

Swiatek’s run was the longest winning streak of the 21st century and she finished the year as world No.1. Swiatek posted a 67-9 win-loss record, the most wins in a season since Serena Williams in 2013.

She also claimed six WTA championship wins during the year: Qatar, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Italian Open and San Diego.

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