Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina, who combined to win three of the four Grand Slam singles titles last year, received nominations for the 2023 Laureus World Sports Awards on Monday.
The Laureus World Sports Awards are international prizes given out annually to honor the top athletes from all fields.
World No.1 Swiatek is one of the six nominees for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, following her exceptional 2022 season. Last year, Swiatek won eight titles, including Grand Slam events at Roland Garros and the US Open.
Poland’s Swiatek also amassed a 37-match winning streak in the first half of 2022. She rose to World No.1 for the first time during that run and has yet to relinquish that position. Last week, Swiatek claimed her first title of the 2023 season in Doha.
Swiatek’s fellow nominees for Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award are footballer Alexia Putellas, swimmer Katie Ledecky, skier Mikaela Shiffrin, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone from athletics.
Rybakina is one of the six nominees for the 2023 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award. Rybakina powered to her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last year.
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina has hit additional milestones in 2023. She made her second Grand Slam final at this year’s Australian Open, propelling her to her Top 10 debut in the WTA Rankings.
One of Rybakina’s fellow nominees is from men’s tennis: Carlos Alcaraz, who won last year’s US Open and hit World No.1.
The other nominees for the 2023 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award are Tobi Amusan of athletics, golfer Scottie Scheffler, figure skater Nathan Chen and the Moroccan men’s football team.
And Diede de Groot represents women’s tennis in the nominees for the 2023 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award.
In 2022, Dutchwoman de Groot won all four Grand Slam titles in women’s singles wheelchair tennis for the second straight season. In January, she won her third straight Australian Open title and her 10th straight Grand Slam title overall.
De Groot’s fellow nominees are Catherine Debrunner of athletics, hockey player Declan Farmer, skier Jesper Saltvik Pedersen, skier/biathlete and cyclist Oksana Masters, and swimmer and rugby player Cameron Leslie.