Djokovic Scoops Up Sportsman of the Year Award

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic arrives with his girlfriend Jelena Ristic for the Laureus World Sports Awards in London, Monday Feb. 6, 2012. (Beta/AP/Lefteris Pitarakis)

Djokovic became the 13th athlete to lift the 2,5 kg Cartier statuette in the Sportsman of the Year Category, in front of sporting greats, celebrities and British Royal Family members at London's Westminster Central Hall on Monday.

The Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually to sportspeople who had been outstanding during the previous year.

In an incredible run that saw him lift three Grand Slam trophies, a record 5 Masters Series titles and topple Spain's Rafa Nadal from the helm of the ATP rankings,  Djokovic concluded a magnificent 2011 season with a 70-6 win-loss ratio.

No player in the history of the sport had managed to win 3 Grand Slams and 5 Masters Series titles in the same year until Novak Djokovic last year.

Djokovic recieved the award from tennis legend and youngest Wimbledon champion to date, Boris Becker, and thanked everyone who played part in his nomination and success.

“This was the best season in my career. The result of the whole team that worked with me all these years, contributing to my being the best tennis player in the world.”

Asked about how he felt after his gruelling six-hour encounter with arch-rival Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open final, Djokovic said: “Everything that I've been through after that final was painful, but I am satisfied that I managed to write my name in the history of tennis.”

Sports stars from around the world attended the ceremony, including sports legends Monika Seles, Alan Shearer, Alberto Tomba, Henri Leconte, Nadia Comaneci, David Coulthard, Sergei Bubka, Mark Spitz, and others.

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, left, talks to tennis player Novak Djokovic during a reception for the 2012 Laureus Awards in 10 Downing Street in central London Monday Feb. 6, 2012. l Photo by Beta/AP Photo/Olivia Harris, Pool

In the final vote, Djokovic topped fellow-nominees for Best Sportman of the Year FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Jamaican 100-metre sprint record-holder Usain Bolt, last year's NBA MVP Dirk Nowitzki, Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel and Australian cyclist Cadel Evans.

The Laureus awards were established in 1999 by Founding Patrons Daimler and Richemont and are supported by Global Partners Mercedes-Benz, IWC Schaffhausen and Vodafone.

The first Gala was held on May 25, 2000 in Monte Carlo.