Tennis player Novak Djokovic and gymnast Simone Biles were chosen this Thursday as athletes of the year by the French sports newspaper L’Equipe, the second time for a Serbian and the fourth time for a North American.
“I want to get better and better,” Djokovic, 36, told the French daily after a season in which he won seven titles, three of them Grand Slams (Australia, France and the United States) as well as the Masters. . He stood out as the tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles, namely 24.
In the voting, the Serbian, already a winner in 2021, surpassed the young French swimming prodigy Léon Marchand, appointed successor to the mythical Michael Phelps, and the Dutch driver Max Verstappen, the Formula 1 world champion.
Djokovic replaced Argentine footballer Lionel Messi in the recognition, which L’Équipe began making in 1975.
“I’m glad that I served as an example and proved that our sport can rise to a new level. I feel like I made a difference,” said Biles, 26, who has already won in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
Biles collected four more titles at the world gymnastics championships (individual and team, floor and beam) and also added a silver medal on vault, increasing her world titles to 23.
The gymnast, who replaced tennis player Iga Swiatek, beat out two compatriots in the voting, namely skier Mikaela Shiffrin and swimmer Katie Ledecky.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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