Ashleigh Barty, Novak Djokovic nominated for Laureus World Sports Awards

Ashleigh Barty, Australian Open women’s singles
champion, World No. 1 men’s singles player Novak Djokovic and US Open defending
champion Emma Raducanu and Daniil Medvedev have been nominated for the Laureus
World Sports Awards 2021.

Also Read: Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra nominated for 2022 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award

Djokovic, who was deported to Dubai from Australia for
not taking vaccines against COVID-19, has been nominated for the Laureus World
Sportsman of the Year and he will be looking for his fifth award in the
category, having also won the titles in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2019.

If he wins the award this year, he will join Roger
Federer with the most awards in the category.

Also Read: ‘Honored to play a role in pushing you to achieve more’: Roger Federer to Rafael Nadal

Djokovic had a stellar season in 2021 as he went on to
win the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. He also finished runner-up
at the US Open and has been holding the world No. 1 ranking for 310 weeks now.

Djokovic will have to contest against Formula 1 driver
Max Verstappen from the Netherlands, NFL player and Super Bowl winner Tom
Brady, United States five-time Olympic swimming gold medallist Caeleb Dressel,
Kenyan marathon Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge and Poland and Bayern Munich
striker Robert Lewandowski.

Also Read: Danielle Collins is US No.1 despite losing Australian Open final: here’s how

Barty, who became the first Australian tennis player
to win the Australian Open singles title in 4 years, received her first Laureus
nomination as she is in the running for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the
Year award.

Barty faces competition from athletes Allyson Felix
from the United States and Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah, swimmers Katie
Ledecky from the United States and Australia’s Emma McKeon, as well as Spain
and Barcelona Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas.

Also Read Tennis greats hail ‘complete player’ Ash Barty for Australian Open triumph

In the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award,
Raducanu and Medvedev, who finished runner-up at the recently concluded
Australian Open, are up against each other along with Spain footballer Pedri,
Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra, Yulimar Rojas from Venezuela and Australian
swimmer Ariarne Titmus.