NOVAK DJOKOVIC WINS SECOND LAUREUS SPORTSMAN OF YEAR AWARD AFTER ‘BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE’

Fri, Apr 17, 2015 01:42 CET

· World tennis No.1 Novak Djokovic gives an exclusive interview to Laureus about his amazing 2014 when he won his second Wimbledon

‘It was even more special than the first Wimbledon one I won in 2011 because I actually went through difficulties. When I grabbed the trophy I had tears in my eyes’ – says Novak Djokovic

Global TV audience watches Laureus Awards Ceremony in Shanghai TV News Access and Web Edit links at end of press release

SHANGHAI, April 15, 2015 – The world’s top tennis player Novak Djokovic is celebrating after winning his second Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, following another brilliant 12 months.

After the winners of the Laureus World Sports Awards were revealed in Shanghai, he said: “This is probably the crown of my 2014 season that has been highlighted with winning Wimbledon, regaining No.1 in the world and becoming a father. It has probably been my best year so far in my life.”

The Laureus World Sports Awards are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar. The winners are chosen by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 50 of the greatest living sportsmen and sportswomen. Proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Since its inception, Laureus has raised €60 million for projects which have improved the lives of millions of young people.

In an interview with Laureus.com, Djokovic said: “It is the most prestigious sports Award without a doubt, because of the fact that it's a recognition and respect that you get from being selected as a top athlete from the members of the Sports Academy of Laureus, of the past champions from different sports. So to be able to be selected from those big names is truly a great achievement that I'm very proud of. I was very privileged to win it in 2011, and to win it again means the world to me.

“I am very grateful for every opportunity that I get in life to be at the centre stage of the biggest events in sport, like Wimbledon, for example, that probably is the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. It is the event that I always dreamed of winning. When I was young, I used to create a little plastic artificial Wimbledon trophy and I imagined in my head it was the trophy and I was thinking I can win it. So, to be able to do it once again after that remarkable 2011 season, and now in 2014 against arguably the greatest tennis player of all‑times, Roger Federer, in an epic final, was truly something special.

“I overcame a couple of five‑set wins to get to the finals where I met Roger Federer, multiple Grand Slam winner and has a great record, seven titles at Wimbledon. I was leading two sets to one. It was a break; I was serving for the match. Dropped that serve. Next game, he was serving to stay in the match, and I had a match point, he aced. Actually, it was a challenge, and the ball just caught the line.

“I thought to myself ‘that was a little bit unlucky, but I have to keep on going’. And when I lost the fourth set, obviously I did go through some doubts if I would be able to sustain that level with him. Because he has more experience of playing at that level, he understands what he needs to do. I had a break and went off the court before the fifth set and said to myself ‘this is it, this is what champions are made of, this is where you need to step it up and really show that you deserve to be on this court and that you deserve to compete for the most prestigious trophy in the sport’.

“Might sound like a cliché, but really that's what I said to myself at that moment, even though the frustration of dropping the fourth set was great. But I managed to convert that to a positive, kind of stimulative energy that gave me that necessary push, that necessary confidence that I need to win the fifth.

“I was emotional in the end of the match. I really was when I grabbed the trophy. I got tears in my eyes, and probably it was even more special than the first one I won in 2011 because of the fact that I actually went through difficulties. To actually get there and physically experience and see that all the hard work has been paying off was something tremendously special; and that I got to share with my closest team, my wife who was pregnant at that time. It was really amazing. And then five days after I got married, so what more could I ask for. It was really a jackpot week for me, I have to say. I enjoyed it truly.”

Laureus World Sports Academy Member and tennis legend Martina Navratilova paid tribute to Djokovic’s amazing year and to the work of his coach, her fellow Laureus Academy Member Boris Becker. “I think it's more difficult to repeat and stay No.1, and Novak managed. Even though he didn't play his best tennis at Wimbledon in the final, he still managed to win it against Roger Federer. Clearly the partnership with Boris is working pretty well. He finished No. 1.

“It’s maybe the little things that he sees where Novak could make improvements, because two minds are always better than one. And of course with Boris' experience as a Grand Slam winner, you can't put a price tag on that. At that high level, there are such small particular margins between winning and losing. And maybe that's where Boris's experience came through in the Wimbledon final against Roger at Wimbledon, when Novak looked like he was going to win it. Should have won the fourth set; ended up losing all those games, and he was on his heels in the fifth set and somehow he put himself together and played his best tennis then.

“And you must think that Boris' voice is in his head at that point to help him right himself up and not panic and finish the job. You don't know when something that somebody says will come into play. And it will be interesting, maybe when Novak writes his book, to reveal exactly what Boris told him when. But I bet you something Boris said made a difference in that fifth set.”

In other categories, the German Football Team was named Laureus World Team of the Year after their World Cup win in Brazil, while Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba was named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year after breaking three world records in different events in two weeks. She was only the third ever person to achieve that feat, along with athletic giants Jesse Owens and Usain Bolt.

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo was winner of the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award after a brilliant rookie season in which he won three Formula One Grand Prix for Red Bull.

During the event, it was announced that Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and Chinese basketball star Yao Ming had been elected members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.

The Awards were announced in seven categories. The full list of winners is:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Genzebe Dibaba

Laureus World Team of the Year: Germany Men’s Football Team

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Daniel Ricciardo

Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Schalk Burger

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Tatyana McFadden

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Alan Eustace

There were three additional Awards: the Laureus Spirit of Sport Award was presented to Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming, the Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award was given to retired tennis star Li Na and the Laureus Sport for Good Award was presented to the worldwide skateboard programme Skateistan.

For full biographies of Winners and Nominees go to www.laureus.com

The globally televised Laureus World Sports Awards was hosted by British film and TV actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Among the presenters were Hollywood legend Bill Murray, star of iconic films such as Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters and Hyde Park on Hudson, Henry Cavill, who played Superman in the film Man of Steel, multi award-winning Korean actress Ha Ji-won, and actress and model Karolína Kurková.

The Awards Ceremony is attended by legends of sport past and present and celebrates the achievements of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of the year. The Host Partner of the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards is Chinese textile and wool company HengYuanXiang Group (HYX), and the event has received the strong support of the Shanghai Municipal Government.

The members of the Laureus World Sports Academy present in Shanghai were: Nadia Comaneci, Deng Yaping, Mick Doohan, Sean Fitzpatrick, Dawn Fraser, Cathy Freeman, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mika Hakkinen, Mike Horn, Michael Johnson, Kip Keino, Franz Klammer, Li Xiaopeng, Tegla Loroupe, Edwin Moses, Robby Naish, Ilie Nastase, Alexey Nemov, Morné du Plessis, Hugo Porta, Mark Spitz, Sachin Tendulkar, Daley Thompson, Steve Waugh, Yang Yang and Yao Ming.

Other guests included: Valerie Adams, Robert Baker, Annabelle Bond, Schalk Burger, Cafu, Eric Cantona, Shelley Gautier, Michael Holding, Nyjah Huston, Janica Kostelic, Jens Lehmann, Leung Yuk Wing, Li Ning, Vanesa Lorenzo, Sage Kotsenburg, Danny MacAskill, Tina Maze, Heyneke Meyer, Roman Petushkov, Carles Puyol, Louis Saha, Anna Schaffelhuber, Sarah Storey, Sun Wen, Pierre Vaultier, Jean de Villiers and Ireen Wüst.

Shanghai, one of China’s most iconic travel destinations and one of the most spectacular cities on Earth, is a perfect location for the 2015 Laureus World Sports Awards. A popular tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks, such as The Bund, City God Temple and Yu Garden, as well as the dramatic Lujiazui skyline, it is a showcase for the booming economy of China. Shanghai mixes old world charm with a modern and vibrant city, perfectly blending the past and present. Shanghai annually hosts some of the biggest sports events in the world, including the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix and the IAAF Shanghai Diamond League meeting.

Enjoying a long-standing reputation in China, HYX is a leading force in the textile and garment industry. In recent years HYX has evolved into a modern enterprise developing its own unique ‘brand and culture’, through brands like ‘HYX’, ‘Fazeya’ and ‘Nanonan’. For many years, HYX has actively focused on sport and been a partner in sports events like football, basketball, gymnastics and marathon. In December 2005, HYX became the first non-sports textile and costume sponsor in the history of the Olympics and three years later became the first partner of the Chinese Olympic Committee, customizing the Olympic kit for Chinese athletes.

The ‘Eternal Love’ programme, co-founded by HYX and the China Children and Teenagers’ Foundation, has won the China Charity Award twice, being honoured as the No.1 activity for caring for orphaned and disabled children in China. Also, the ‘HYX Literature Star High School Students’ Writing Contest’ has become the most influential event of its kind, attracting the largest number of contestants. In 1997 and 2007 HYX supported the ‘10,000 Teenagers’ Recreational and Sports Activities’ event in Tiananmen Square, in Beijing, China, to promote the health of teenagers.

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