Novak Djokovic beats Max Verstappen, Erling Haaland and Iga Swiatek to become European Sportsperson of the Year for a record 5th time

Novak Djokovic won three Grand Slams and a total of seven trophies in 2023. 

Novak Djokovic beats Max Verstappen, Erling Haaland and Iga Swiatek to become European Sportsperson of the Year for a record 5th time

Max Verstappen, Novak Djokovic and Erling Haaland (Image via: Sky Sports)

Novak Djokovic has defeated the likes of Max Verstappen, Erling Haaland, Iga Swiatek, and Nikola Jokic to become Eurosport’s European Athlete of the Year. All the players on the list that have been released by Eurosport have had incredible achievements this season in their respective sports.

However, the Serb’s achievements and performance this season were on a different level altogether, and thus he was deserving of the award. Moreover, this is the 5th time (highest) that he has won this award.

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The Serb won three out of the four Grand Slams this season. He won the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open while also qualifying for the final of Wimbledon.

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There, he was defeated by Carlos Alcaraz. Apart from the Grand Slams, he also won four other trophies, namely the Adelaide 1, the Cincinnati Masters, the Paris Masters, and the ATP Finals. 

He was the highest prize money earner among all tennis players this year and also topped the list of the most ranking points won by a player. 

Novak Djokovic, Max Verstappen, Armand Duplantis, Erling Haaland, and Nikola Jokic were the top 5 names on Eurosport’s European Athlete of the Year 2023 list. Verstappen won the 2023 F1 Championship and was by far the best F1 racer last year, while Duplantis is a pole vaulter who is the current Olympics, European, and Diamond League champion.

On the other hand, Erling Haaland scored 49 goals in 2023, which is the highest by any soccer player in that year. Nikola Jokic won the NBA Championship with the Denver Nuggets, and he was the MVP. 

The only other tennis player on the list was Iga Swiatek, who appeared sixth on the list. The Pole won the French Open in 2023. Thanks to her victories at the China Open and the WTA Finals at the end of the year, she became the year-end World No. 1 by overtaking Aryna Sabalenka. 

Novak Djokovic aims to win his 25th Grand Slam in the 2024 Australian Open 

Novak Djokovic made history in 2023 by becoming the tennis player with the most Grand Slams in the history of the sport. At the beginning of the year, Rafael Nadal had 22 Grand Slams, while the Serb had 21.

By the end of it, the Serb’s tally had increased to 24. His hunger for more is still not gone, though. In a recent interview, Nole said that he wants to win his 25th Grand Slam at the upcoming 2024 Australian Open. 

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Source: Tennis365)
I'm still trying to push as long as I can, win Grand Slams, and be a contender for a top sport in the world. Trying to make more history of the sport – that's the drive, that's the motivation. I'm still feeling very good in my own body at this age, playing one of the best seasons that I had in my career in 2023, so I'm gonna keep going and see how far it gets me.
Djokovic said

The Australian Open 2024 starts on January 14, 2024, and that is when the Serb will kick off his season. He had his pre-season in Saudi Arabia (Dubai), where he also played an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz on December 27 (in Riyadh). The Spaniard ended up winning the exhibition match. 

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