Novak Djokovic beats off competition from Max Verstappen and Erling Haaland to win European Athlete of the year award

2023 has been the year of Novak Djokovic. The Serbian superstar dominated men’s tennis, winning various titles in process. Now, according to Eurosport, Novak Djokovic has been crowned European Sportsperson of the Year for a fifth time. The Serbian has beaten off some strong competition to win this award.

Novak Djokovic was the talk of the tennis world throughout the year. The 26 year-old won the Australian Open, The French Open and the US Open to take an unprecedented lead in Grand Slams tally. The Serbian has now won a record 24 Grand Slam titles, 2 more than rival Rafael Nadal and 4 more than Roger Federer. To go with his Grand Slams, the Serbian even won the Cincinnati Masters, Paris Masters and ATP Finals.

Novak Djokovic topped the Eurosport ranking for the best European Athlete for 2023 beating Max Verstappen, Erling Haaland and fellow tennis star Iga Swiatek. The Serbian got 178 votes, 28 more than Verstappen who got 150. Meanwhile Erling Haaland was ranked 4th with 80 votes and Iga Swiatek was 6th with 72.

Novak Djokovic has been crowned European Sportsperson of the Year for a fifth time! pic.twitter.com/upUfXmnvle

— Eurosport (@eurosport) December 27, 2023

Novak Djokovic has previous won the award in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2021. This will be the Serbians fifth award win in last 13 years.

Novak Djokovic eyeing more success in 2024

Novak Djokovic is eyeing even more records in 2024. The Serbian is still chasing that elusive calendar slam that has escaped his grasp throughout his career. With 2024 being an Olympics year, the Serbian has a chance to add some Olympics glory as well. Djokovic is the only player among the ‘Big Three’ to not win an Olympics gold.

Recently, Djokovic mentioned that he will be aiming to win all four Grand Slam titles in 2024. The Serbian was one set away from achieving the Calendar Slam but lost the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz. However, the 36-year-old feels that he can complete a Calendar Slam in the coming year if he is physically and mentally fit. All eyes of the tennis world will be on the Serbian to see if he continue to achieve great heights in 2024.