Rafael Nadal puts his 4 Laureus awards on display in his academy museum
Rafael Nadal was recently crowned the 2021 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year on the back of a fine 2020 campaign. A four-time recipient of the Laureus World Sports Awards, the Spaniard put the pieces of his collection on display at his academy museum in Mallorca - the Rafa Nadal Museum Xperience.
On Wednesday, Rafael Nadal tweeted a picture of himself with his statuettes.
Nadal's Laureus win this year is the second time he has achieved it under the 'Sportsman of the Year' category. In 2006, he won the award for 'Breakthrough of the Year', in 2011 for 'Sportsman of the Year', and in 2014 for 'Comeback of the Year'. He was also nominated on four other occasions for the Laureus awards.
Rafael Nadal joins Novak Djokovic as a four-time Laureus winner, only behind Roger Federer and Serena Williams
The Laureus World Sports Awards came into existence at the turn of the millennium. Since the competition for the award extends beyond one's own sport, only the best performers in the sporting world manage to get their hands on the trophy.
That said, tennis has seen quite a few winners in the history of the Laureus awards. Since its inception in 2000, seven female and six male tennis players have received a Laureus World Sports Award.
Among the women, Serena Williams leads the pack with five awards, followed by Jennifer Capriatti (2), Naomi Osaka (2), Martina Hingis (1), Amelie Mauresmo (1), Justine Henin (1) and Kim Clijsters (1).
On the men's side, Roger Federer leads with six wins, followed by Rafael Nadal (4), Novak Djokovic (4), Marat Safin (1), Goran Ivanisevic (1) and Andy Murray (1).
Nadal's haul of four wins at the Laureus World Sports Awards sits third in the world of tennis. However, he is the only individual to have won the award in all three possible categories.