MADRID, 14 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Tennis players Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka have been named 2023 world champions by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and both will receive the award as the best men's and women's singles players on July 7, 2024 at the Natural History Museum in London.
Djokovic captured titles at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open to extend his record for most men's 'Grand Slam' singles titles of all time to 24, as well as being a finalist at Wimbledon.
The Serbian tennis player is clear that “ending the year as world number 1 is the crown of the season.” “I think it is every tennis player's dream. It is one of the most difficult things to achieve in our sport. Winning Grand Slams and being number one in the world are probably the pinnacle of this sport,” highlighted a 'Nole' who receives this recognition from the ITF for the eighth time in his career.
Likewise, Sabalenka won the Australian Open, was runner-up at the United States Open and reached the semifinals at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Djokovic and Sabalenka were the only two players to reach at least the semifinals, or more, in all four Grand Slam tournaments in 2023.
“2023 has been an incredible season for me and I am very happy to be named ITF World Champion. From winning my first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open to reaching world number one for the first time, I have “It is true that this has been an incredible year. I am very grateful to my family, my team and my fans for their support in 2023 and I am looking forward to returning to the track for the new season in January,” commented the Belarusian.
ITF President David Haggerty congratulated the winners. “Congratulations to our 2023 ITF World Champions. These awards recognize the incredible seasons these 11 athletes have had, with our World Champions winning an incredible 24 Grand Slam titles in 2023. We hope the players have a smooth pre-season during the coming weeks and we wish them all the best for the 2024 season,” he said.
The rest of the winners are: Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury (men's doubles); Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens (women's doubles); Alfie Hewett and the Dutchman Diede De Groot (wheelchair), Alina Korneeva and the Brazilian Joao Fonseca (junior).