Rafael Nadal is among the nominees for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award. A 22-time Major winner is in contention for his third Laureus award, two years after winning his second in 2021.
Rafa had a great run at majors in 2022, winning the Australian Open and a stunning 14th crown at Roland Garros, the title that made him a Laureus nominee
. Nadal will challenge Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Max Verstappen, Stephen Curry and Mondo Duplantis for the prestigious award.
Rafa finished last year in the top-2, right behind his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. In doing so, Nadal became the oldest year-end top 2 player in the history of the ATP rankings, taking the record away from Roger Federer.
Rafa won back-to-back Major titles in Melbourne and Paris, becoming the only player with 22 notable crowns. Nadal missed the second part of 2021 due to foot problems and made a perfect comeback last season.
The veteran Spaniard overcame all obstacles at the Australian Open. After trailing 6-2, 7-6, 3-2, 40-0 against Daniil Medvedev in the final, he won his first trophy at Melbourne Park in 13 years.
Rafa conquered Acapulco in February and reached the Indian Wells final for a perfect 20-0 start to the season. However, the Spaniard broke a rib, lost the title shot to Taylor Fritz and missed Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
Rafa returned to action in Madrid and Rome not playing at his best.
Rafael Nadal is the nominee for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award
Also, his foot bothered him again and before Roland Garros, some doubts rose about him.
Nadal needed injections before every match in Paris to ease the pain and compete at the level he wanted. Rafa provided his clay-court magic, beating Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud for his 14th place.
Roland Garros title and the 22nd Major! Nadal wished for more at Wimbledon and was aiming for the first All England Club crown in 12 years. The Spaniard reached the semis after an epic win over Taylor Fritz.
However, the veteran revealed a seven-millimeter abdominal tear that forced him to withdraw ahead of the Nick Kyrgios fight. Rafa would only play nine matches by the end of the season, winning four of them and not fighting for the year-end No. 1.
Nadal lost in the fourth round of the US Open, conceding four straight losses for the first time since late 2009! Rafa did everything he could to end the losing streak, edging out Casper Ruud in the final game of the season in Turin to improve his form and hunt for notable titles again in 2023.
