The Serbian tennis player won the award for 2023 and for the fifth time in history, he was adorned with the prestigious recognition. With that, he equaled Roger Federer, who until tonight was the only one who could boast of five such awards. Djokovic’s competition was soccer players Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi, athletes Armand Duplantis and Noah Lyles and Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen. 

The award ceremony took place tonight at the Palacio de Telecomunicaciones in Madrid, and Djokovic received the award from former NFL player Tom Brady, with whom he watched El Clasico live at the Santiago Bernabéu last night.

The award received by Djokovic is absolutely deserved considering his impact in 2023. In it, he participated in 12 tournaments, won three Grand Slams and a total of seven cups in eight finals, losing only to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon. He finished the year as the number one on the ATP list, the eighth time in a row which is a record in tennis considering that Federer stopped at six.