Sabalenka Wins Sportswoman of the Year Award

Ahead of the start of the WTA-1000 tennis tournament in the Spanish capital, Aryna Sabalenka, a three-time winner of the Belarusian title, received the Laureus World Sports Awards' Sportswoman of the Year award. This award is one of the most prestigious on the planet. Over the years, it has been won by Serena Williams, Simone Biles, and Lindsey Vonn. Among the men's players, Lionel Messi, Usain Bolt, Armand Duplantis, and others have also been recognized. Last season, Sabalenka won the US Open, as well as the 1,000-dollar tournaments in Miami and Madrid. And at the start of this year's competition, Sabalenka completed a "sunny double," winning titles in Miami and Indian Wells. Aryna Sabalenka, world No. 1:

"I'm thrilled to see all these inspiring stories. When I looked at the list of past winners, I thought: it's incredible that my name will appear alongside those of these legends. I'm speechless, it's amazing. There are strong, influential, and inspiring women in all sports who are doing incredible things, so this means so much. Thank you to the academy, the team, my family, and my partner for pushing me forward and supporting me. I couldn't have done it without you. There are so many stars here, it's a great honor."

According to the rules, shortlists are formed based on votes from more than 1,000 media representatives from over 70 countries, after which the winners are determined by the Lories World Sports Academy.

As for the WTA tournament in Madrid, the No. 1 seed will skip the first round of the competition due to her high seeding.