The Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award went to Aryna Sabalenka, who attended the glamorous ceremony in Madrid alongside her fiancé, Georgios Frangulis, as she prepares to kick off her campaign at the clay-court Mutua Madrid Open.
Wearing a grey, sparkly floor-length gown with a single long sleeve, Sabalenka collected the award at a ceremony hosted by tennis legend Novak Djokovic and freestyle skier Eileen Gu. With her hair styled in a sleek center-parted bun, the world No. 1 celebrated what marks her first Laureus award. She was nominated alongside Aitana Bonmati, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, Faith Kipyegon, Katie Ledecky, and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
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“I’m shaking right now. After seeing all the incredible stories, so inspiring, I have goosebumps. When I see the list of winners from the previous years, it makes me feel a little bit crazy to know that my name is gonna be next to those legends,” Sabalenka said in an emotional speech on Monday.
Before Sabalenka, tennis icons such as Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams, Justine Henin, and Naomi Osaka had also claimed the Sportswoman of the Year honor.
Accepting the award, Sabalenka also thanked her fiancé, to whom she was recently engaged, as he blew her kisses from the audience. Her mother-in-law, Ana Helena Puccetti, later shared her excitement and affection for Sabalenka on Instagram Stories:
“Congratulations to my extraordinary daughter-in-law, beautiful, inspiring! And to the most perfect couple 😍 ❤️ @arynasabalenka @georgiosfrangulis.”
Spotted on the red carpet 💅
Aryna Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini attend the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards ✨#Laureus26 pic.twitter.com/STYk2i1wGr
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) April 20, 2026
Other WTA players in attendance included Jasmine Paolini, Amanda Anisimova (nominated for the Laureus World Comeback of the Year), and Alexandra Eala, alongside ATP stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.
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Sabalenka will now aim to defend her Mutua Madrid Open title, having won the tournament in 2025 with a victory over Coco Gauff in the final. After a first-round bye, the top seed will face American Peyton Stearns in the second round of the WTA 1000 event.
