Laureus: Alcaraz and Sabalenka win

Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka took the top individual prizes at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid on April 20. (laureus.com) The ceremony was held at Cibeles Palace and honored performances from 2025, with Alcaraz named World Sportsman of the Year and Sabalenka World Sportswoman of the Year. (olympics.com) (laureus.com) Alcaraz won after a 2025 season that included French Open and U.S. Open titles, a Wimbledon runner-up finish to Jannik Sinner, and a return to year-end world No. 1. (nbcsports.com) (laureus.com) Sabalenka was honored after finishing 2025 as world No. 1 on the women’s tour, reaching the semifinals of all four Grand Slams and winning the U.S. Open for her fourth major title. (nbcsports.com) (olympics.com) The result extended tennis’s long hold on the Laureus marquee categories. NBC Sports counted Alcaraz as the fourth men’s tennis player to win Sportsman of the Year since the awards began in 2000, after Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. (nbcsports.com) Madrid also used the night to showcase a wider sports calendar. The city hosted the awards on the same day the Madrid Open began, and Laureus noted Formula One is scheduled to return there later in 2026 for the first time since 1981. (laureus.com) Other winners underlined how broad the ballot was. Paris Saint-Germain was named Team of the Year after its first Union of European Football Associations Champions League title, while Lando Norris won for his Formula One drivers’ championship and Rory McIlroy took Comeback of the Year after his Masters victory. (olympics.com) Novak Djokovic and Eileen Gu hosted the ceremony, the first time Laureus said two athletes had served as hosts. (laureus.com) For Alcaraz and Sabalenka, the Madrid ceremony turned their 2025 rankings and Grand Slam results into the sport-wide awards that Laureus reserves for its biggest names. (olympics.com)