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The ATP world No. 1 Alcaraz and world No. 2 Sinner have been nominated for one of the most prestigious individual honors in sport, the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award, after jointly dominating the ATP Tour last season. Alcaraz captured Roland Garros and the US Open and clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking, while Sinner lifted trophies at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the ATP Finals in Turin.

The winner will be announced April 20 at Madrid’s Cibeles Palace. The annual ceremony, which celebrates the world’s greatest athletes and recognizes “the inspirational power of sport and its ability to change lives,” takes place during the Mutua Madrid Open.

Fellow Sportsman of the Year nominees include Ousmane Dembele (football), Mondo Duplantis (athletics), Marc Marquez (motorcycling) and Tadej Pogacar (cycling).

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The winner would join elite company: The only previous tennis players to earn Sportsman of the Year honors are Roger Federer (2005–2008, 2018), Rafael Nadal (2011, 2021) and Novak Djokovic (2012–2015, 2016, 2019, 2024)—the sport’s “Big Three.”

Men’s tennis players are the most decorated athletes in the category, with 12 total wins, compared to the next most successful sports—Formula One and athletics—with five apiece.

Tennis is also well represented across the other Laureus categories announced on Tuesday. WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka leads the nominees for Sportswoman of the Year after clinching her fourth Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2025 and finishing runner-up at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

She is nominated alongside Aitana Bonmati (football), Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (athletics), Katie Ledecky (swimming) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (athletics).

Four former WTA world No. 1s have previously won the award: Jennifer Capriati (2002), Serena Williams (2003, 2010, 2016, 2018), Justine Henin (2008) and Naomi Osaka (2021). Williams is tied with gymnastics star Simone Biles for the most wins at four.

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Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca and Amanda Anisimova were also recognized by the Laureus committee for their memorable 2025 seasons.

Fonseca was nominated for Breakthrough of the Year after bursting onto the scene with main-draw wins at all four Grand Slams—including his first Top 10 victory over Andrey Rublev—and titles in Buenos Aires (ATP 250) and Basel (ATP 500).

Anisimova earned a Comeback of the Year nomination after reaching back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, two years after announcing an indefinite mental health break from the sport.

The Kings County Tennis League was shortlisted for a Laureus Sport for Good Award. For 15 years, the organization has worked to make tennis more accessible for young people in Brooklyn, New York, by repurposing existing play spaces within public housing communities to provide ‘free tennis instruction, life skills development and community-building opportunities’ for local residents.

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