Carlos Alcaraz Crowned 2026 World's Best Athlete

Spanish Tennis Player Carlos Alcaraz was crowned the world's best male athlete at the Laureus World Sports Awards 2026 held early Tuesday, April 21, 2026 WIB.

This prestigious award capped Alcaraz's brilliant performance throughout the 2025 season. He successfully collected eight championship titles, including two prestigious Grand Slam tournaments, the French Open and US Open, while ending the season as ATP world number one.

Throughout his journey, Alcaraz faced fierce competition from his main rival Jannik Sinner, who also delivered consistent performances all season.

"Three years ago in Paris, I received the Laureus Breakthrough Award and met one of my idols, Leo Messi, who won the Laureus Sportsman Award. Back then, I dreamed that maybe someday I'd follow legendary Leo Messi on this list of athletes, and today, I've made it happen," said Alcaraz as quoted by ATP.

"Messi, Federer, Djokovic, Usain Bolt, and of course the great Rafa Nadal. I'm walking in the footsteps of giants. That's what makes this moment so special."

"I truly understand why this award means so much to the world's best athletes, including all other Laureus nominees, but I particularly want to thank Jannik Sinner," said the 22-year-old player.

"If we hadn't pushed each other to the absolute limit, I don't think either of us would have reached this level."

In this year's nominations, Alcaraz competed against top global athletes including Ousmane Dembele, Mondo Duplantis, Marc Marquez, and Tadej Pogacar.

With this win, Alcaraz follows in the footsteps of tennis legends like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic who previously won the same award.

This isn't Alcaraz's first recognition from Laureus. In 2023, he won the Breakthrough of the Year award after becoming the youngest player in history to reach ATP world number one at age 19.

Throughout the 2025 season, Alcaraz recorded an impressive 71 wins against only 9 losses. Beyond his two Grand Slams, he also won major tournaments including ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo, Rome, and Cincinnati, plus ATP 500 titles in Rotterdam, London, and Tokyo.

He also reached his first ATP Finals in November, though he ultimately lost to Sinner in the championship match.

Beyond Alcaraz and Sinner, attention focused on Brazilian rising star Joao Fonseca, who showed significant improvement to break into world number 24 – his highest career ranking to date.

Alcaraz's Laureus World Sportsman 2026 victory further cements his status as one of the biggest stars in modern tennis.