By Ben Church, Amanda Davies, Aleks Klosok, CNN
(CNN) — It was a big night for tennis as both Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka won individual awards at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Madrid on Monday.
Alcaraz, who was sporting a brace on his wrist, opened up about his brilliant 2025 season, as well as his fitness hopes heading into the French Open next month, after being named Sportsman of the Year.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka was named Sportswoman of the Year as she reflected on the lessons she learned from a “crazy” 2025.
Alcaraz injury update
As world No. 2 Alcaraz arrived at the awards ceremony, everyone was keeping an eye out for his right wrist. Reports emerged last week that the Spaniard was suffering from an injury after he withdrew from the Barcelona Open then subsequently pulled out of the Madrid Open, and those concerns were confirmed after he was seen with his wrist immobilized on Monday.
Speaking to CNN Sports’ Amanda Davies, Alcaraz said he was still waiting to find out the extent of the injury and hoped he would be back on court soon, with Roland Garros fast approaching.
“I could be better, to be honest,” he said. “These things happen. It is hopefully nothing serious, I don’t know yet.
“It’s not about if you get injured, it’s about when and how you come back, so I’m just trying to take care of myself as good as I can and trying to be on court soon again.”
Alcaraz has continued his brilliant form from last year into this season, winning the Australian Open at the start of the year (where he completed a career grand slam) after clinching both the French and US Opens in 2025.
But it wasn’t always smooth sailing last campaign, with the 22-year-old having to take a break early in the year to reset his mentality. The time he took away from the sport, he said, helped him rediscover his passion as he stormed back with a fresh approach.
“I came back with a lot of joy again, happy to step on the court again,” he said. “And I think after that, when you’re feeling good with yourself, when you feel happy with how you’re going to approach a tournament or a match, everything comes after all.”
Looking ahead to this season, he said the goal is naturally to win every grand slam he can, although the Spaniard is fully aware of how hard that feat is.
Instead, he’s just focused on being ready for every tournament, partly driven by his ongoing rivalry with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. The two superstars have pushed each other to new levels and have won between them every grand slam since the 2023 US Open.
“The rivalry that I have with Jannik, it’s in my mind every day,” Alcaraz said.
“Every time that I’m going to step on the court for practice, I’m just thinking about what I should do to be better, what I should do when I’m going to face Jannik for the next time, and I practice that.
“So I think this rivalry is really beautiful. I’m really grateful for having him around, although not when he beats me.”
Sabalenka’s tough lesson
It was an equally memorable season for women’s world No. 1 Sabalenka, who picked up her Laureus Award after reaching three grand slam finals last season, winning the US Open in the process.
“2025 was a crazy year for me,” she told CNN’s Davies. “A lot of lessons, a lot of tough lessons, but also a lot of incredible wins, a lot of unforgettable memories.”
Sabalenka was runner-up in both the Australian Open and French Open last season but said she learned a lot from both defeats, notably the importance of controlling her emotions in the big moments.
“I have to always remind myself that I’m so strong, I’m so powerful, and I can go through whatever, and if it didn’t happen today, I know that I’m strong enough to come back next time and do a better job,” she said.
“I’m actually really grateful for those tough losses because they teach me a lot. They help me to become much better not only as an athlete, but as a person as well.”
She was then able to put her game together in time for the US Open, which she won with a straight-sets victory against American Amanda Anisimova in the final.
To celebrate that landmark victory, Sabalenka treated herself to a rather special prize: new pet dog Ash, named in honor of the show court at Flushing Meadows where she won the title.
“It was a tough, tough season. I was achieving a lot, I was winning a lot, but in the finals of the grand slams, I wasn’t performing my best, and it was very disappointing,” she said.
“To finally win a slam, I was so speechless, and even right now, thinking of that feeling, I don’t know what I was feeling. I was super proud, super happy, not only for me, but for my team.”
Full list of Laureus 2026 winners
Sportsman of the Year: Carlos Alcaraz
Sportswoman of the Year: Aryna Sabalenka
World Team of the Year: Paris Saint-Germain (men’s squad)
World Breakthrough of the Year: Lando Norris
World Comeback of the Year: Rory McIlroy
World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Gabriel Araújo
World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Chloe Kim
Sport for Good Award: Fútbol Mas
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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