Why Novak Djokovic was right to have been awarded Laureus Sportsman of the Year 2024 over Max Verstappen and Lionel Messi

A full house at the iconic Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid waited in anticipation of witnessing history as Novak Djokovic stepped up on the stage to receive the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award for the fifth time in his career.

NFL legend, Tom Brady handed over the trophy to the Serbian, generating a thunderous applause from the crowd. Djokovic had edged modern sporting greats like Max Verstappen and Lionel Messi to the award, thanks to an incredible individual year.

Novak Djokovic was the face of men's tennis in 2023 as the Serbian superstar dominated the tour, winning three of the four Grand Slam titles. The 37-year-old was extremely close to winning the Calendar Slam but lost the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz.

However, three Major titles, along with the ATP Finals win and a couple of Masters titles, were enough to declare Djokovic as the best sportsman in the world in 2024. Novak Djokovic was a heavy favourite going into the event over his sporting rivals Lionel Messi and Max Verstappen, despite the duo having record-breaking years themselves.

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Max Verstappen and Lionel Messi's 2023 season

Max Verstappen has been the man to beat in Formula 1

Verstappen was considered the closest rival to Novak Djokovic for the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award largely due to his impressive Formula 1 campaign. The Dutchman enjoyed unprecedented success in the 2023 season, dominating the grid with Red Bull's RB19 challenger. Verstappen won 19 out of 22 Grand Prix on his way to a third driver's championship. However, that was not enough for the 26-year-old to edge out Djokovic for the Laureus honour.

Verstappen has won the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award in the past, when he won his first Formula 1 driver's championship during the controversial 2021 season. On that occasion, the Dutchman was nominated along with the likes of Novak Djokovic and Tom Brady, and got the most votes from his fellow sports players. This time, however, Verstappen has had to settle for a second place, behind Djokovic.

Another player who was considered an outside favourite for the award was Lionel Messi. The Argentine superstar won the award in 2023, mainly due to his historic FIFA World Cup win in Qatar, where he guided Argentine to glory and was named the Player of the Tournament.

The 36-year-old was unanimously declared the winner, with even his fellow nominee Rafael Nadal rooting for the Argentine to win the award. However, Messi failed to repeat his impressive form in 2023 and thus, was unable to defend his crown his year.

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Did Novak Djokovic deserve to win the 'Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award' ahead of Verstappen and Messi?

The answer to this question is quite simply, yes. Novak Djokovic has been the face of tennis throughout 2023. The 36-year-old Serbian is still competing toe-to-toe with all of his rivals and showing no signs of slowing down. Although it appeared that the younger generation of tennis players were about to take over, Djokovic has refused to cave in.

Despite being at the top of his game for almost two decades, Novak Djokovic is still creating and breaking all sorts of records in tennis. The 36-year-old became the oldest-ever year-end No. 1 in the history of tennis, as he ended 2023 as the top-ranked men's player in the world. Djokovic still has the hunger to succeed and the willingness to improve himself, which has propelled him to greater heights.

While Djokovic was the king of tennis, Verstappen was just as good in Formula 1. However, Djokovic's dominance at his age, and in a more competitive setting, makes for a stronger claim for Sportsman of the Year. Despite both sporting icons enjoying a great year, Djokovic did enough to get the glory and more importantly, the votes from his fellow professionals to claim the prestigious award.

While Djokovic and Verstappen were the top two contenders for the award, Lionel Messi was an outside shout. The Argentine's move to Inter Miami in the United States has not worked out as well as he would have hoped for as the Herons failed to qualify for the playoffs. Despite guiding Miami to their first-ever trophy in the Leagues Cup, Messi failed to match his high standards in the MLS regular season.

Novak Djokovic's 2024 win took his Laureus Sportsman of the Year tally to five, matching Roger Federer's record. With the Serbian aiming to continue to play for another few years, one cannot bet against Djokovic to win a record sixth Laureus award soon.