Tennis legend beats World Cup winner Mbappe to win prestigious award

Tennis legend beats World Cup winner Mbappe to win prestigious award

Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic has been named sportsman of the year at the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony held in Monaco earlier this week.

The Serbian beat five other stars including World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, Lewis Hamilton, Eliud Kipchoge and NBA superstar LeBron James to the prize.

He won two Grand Slams in the out gone year - US Open and Wimbledon titles as he returned to the summit of the chart.

Japanese-American Naomi Osaka on the other hand won the Breakthrough award on the night for her impressive display in 2018.

The 21-year-old took the world by surprise after beating Serena Williams to win the US Open in 2018, and few months later emerge winner at the 2019 Australian open.

A feat that pushed her to the summit of the women's tennis ranking after starting year 2018 as world number 72.

Gymnast Biles was crowned the Sportswoman of the year at the same ceremony, after beating tennis stars Simona Halep and Angelique Kerber in the same category.

Others were skiiers Esther Ledecka, Mikaela Shiffrin and Ironman triathlete Daniela Ryf, but the 21-year-old gymnast came out tops.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award which was witnessed by loads of superstars.

The Frenchman spent 22 years as the Gunners boss and won three Premier League titles among other domestic trophies.

Marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge picked up the Achievement award at the star-studded bash at the Sporting Monte-Carlo complex.

The awards was organised to celebrate outstanding sporting achievements of the past year, with categories including Sportsman, Sportswoman, Team, Breakthrough, Comeback, Action and Sporting Moment.

Lindsey Vonn was given the Spirit of Sport having recently announced her retirement from skiing.

Woods was the winner in the Comeback category, in which Winter Olympians Yuzuru Hanyu, Mark McMorris, Bibioan Mentel-Spee, Vonn and Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat were also nominated.

Henrieta Farkasova triumphed ahead of Diede De Groot, Brian McKeever, Oksana Masters, Grigorios Polychronidis and Markus Rehm for the Disability award, presented to the athlete who shows excellent achievement in their Paralympic sport.

In the Action category, surfers Maya Gabeira, Gabriel Medina and Stephanie Gilmore went up against snowboarders Shaun White, Anna Gasser and Chloe Kim for the award that recognises an athlete who has pushed the limit of their discipline. Youngster Kim, just 18, went home with the trophy.

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