Sports Review Of The Year: How Top Stars Rocked The World.
Novak Djokovic became the most prolific Grand Slam men's tennis champion of all time, Lionel Messi won an eighth Ballon d'Or, Ronnie O'Sullivan an eighth UK snooker title, Iga Swiatek reaffirmed her dominance, Erling Haaland won it all with Manchester City and Simone Biles confirmed her GOAT status.
Lets recounts the above and more in the 2023 Sports Review of the Year.
Djokovic showed the sporting world that there remains no substitute for experience, dedication and unbendable self-belief in having the final word in settling the debate about who is the most prolific tennis champion of all time.
The outstanding solo achiever of the year in sport was arguably the timeless Djokovic, who at the age of 36 just seems to be getting warmed up.
Nothing seems beyond such a warrior of winning ways, who knows how to get the job done any which way but loose.
He began his year by carting off the Australian Open in January with a 6-3 7-6 7-6 win over Stefanos Tsitsipas, his astonishing 10th title in Melbourne and a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam triumph.
With Rafael Nadal injured for the French Open in June, the path was clear for Djokovic to conquer Roland Garros for a third time with a 7-6 6-3 7-5 dismissal of Casper Ruud.
A seasonal slam seemed likely when he reached the Wimbledon final in early July, but an epic joust with Carlos Alcaraz was the only minor blip on the Djokovic report card as he lost 6-1 6-7 1-6 6-3 4-6 to the fast-moving Spaniard, a player 15 years his junior.
He quickly regrouped with an avenging 5-7 7-6 7-6 win over Alcaraz in the Cincinnati Open final – a brutal three-set match that ran for an astonishing three hours and 49 minutes – the perfect palate cleanser for his run to the US Open trophy later in August with a 6-3 7-6 6-3 victory over Daniil Medvedev.
Djokovic – who also enjoyed poignant triumphs at the Adelaide International and Paris Masters – ended the season as
the undisputed world No. 1 for a record-extending eighth time, endorsing his obvious supremacy with a dominant 6-3, 6-3 win over Jannik Sinner at the ATP finals in Turin.
Who knows what he will achieve in 2024, but it is difficult to see the wheels coming off any time soon if he can maintain such an unshakeable intensity of fitness and focus.
SWIATEK SWATS ASIDE DOUBTS TO EMERGE ON TOP
In the women’s game, Iga Swiatek emulated the 22-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams by becoming the first player to win successive WTA Player of the Year awards.
The Polish player claimed a third French Open, the China Open and the WTA Finals in November to end the year as world No. 1.
"It was certainly a demanding season that taught me a lot, and which makes me even more proud. This year-end result exceeded all my expectations," Swiatek told Eurosport in Poland.
Aryna Sabalenka claimed her first Grand Slam title with a 4–6 6–3 6–4 win over Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final.
She was not the only one to revel in a maiden major as the unseeded Marketa Vondrousova overcame Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon final 6–4 6–4 to snare a first trophy in six years.
Which is not a bad one to choose.
There was yet room for further renewal as American teenager Coco Gauff enjoyed a 2-6 6-3 6-2 comeback success over Sabalenka in the US Open final to confirm her arrival as a first-time Grand Slam champion.
KING JAMES WALKS TALL IN LAND OF GIANTS
LeBron James has seen it and done it all in basketball. Nothing in his 20-year career has been a leap of faith among a brutal and brutish land of giants representing the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
At the age of 38, the double Olympic gold-medal winning playmaker and powerhouse forward is suddenly the oldest, boldest and goldest player among America’s elite.
James overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history with his incredible 38,388th career point in a 133-130 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Abdul-Jabbar had set the record in April 1984, and it was fitting his fellow Laker was on hand to present the match ball to LeBron during the fixture.
James also inevitably proceeded to become the first player to reach 39,000 career points in the 131-99 win over Utah Jazz in November.
He toppled Abdul-Jabbar's record of 66,300 minutes against Philadelphia 76ers later in the month to become the most prolific player in basketball history in terms of NBA games playing during the regular season and play-off matches.
“There’s been so many great players that came across this league since the beginning of time, and so many great scorers,” said James.
“To be able to accomplish something that’s the first of anything, I think that’s always pretty cool. It’s a wild moment, that’s for sure.”
MANCHESTER CITY’S TREBLE WINNERS BENEFIT FROM HAALAND OF GOD
There was a blue moon rising over Istanbul in June as Manchester City’s pursuit of the promised land in football finally concluded with the club’s first totemic victory in the UEFA Champions League.
A narrow 1-0 win over combative Italian opponents Inter Milan in the final was completed after Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering side had lifted the English Premier League and FA Cup in a campaign of unrivalled domestic and continental bliss.
Losing five games over the season, City secured a third straight Premier League title by five points with their coronation confirmed after nearest challengers Arsenal lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest in May.
They secured the FA Cup with a 2-1 triumph over local foes Manchester United at Wembley in the first week of June courtesy of a double from İlkay Gundogan, who also scored the fastest goal in final history after just 12 seconds.
Despite losing the exceptional Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to injury in the first half of the Champions League final, City had enough talent in their midst as Rodri scored the winner midway through the second half against Inter a week later.
It is only the second treble of Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup achieved by an English club after United’s celebrated 1999 success under Sir Alex Ferguson, an Alexander who never wept because there were no more worlds to conquer.
The technically superior Rodri was also named the player of the tournament by UEFA, but without the intervention of the Haaland of God, such a feat would never have been possible.
Like some sort of menacing Norseman, the remarkable Norwegian marksman helped himself to an incredible 52 goals in 53 games for City, becoming the first player to win the Premier League’s young player and player of the season gong in the same year.
Haaland’s 12 goals saw him finish the UEFA Champions League top scorer for the second time before the age of 23 as he joined Lionel Messi as the only other man to achieve the feat.
MESSI CLAIMS BALLON D’OR IN END OF ERA CEREMONY
The Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly has dominated the world game and football awards for the past 15 years, but the curtain was probably brought down on their gilded rivalry in 2023.
After inspiring Argentina to lift the FIFA World Cup at the end of 2022, Messi was recognised for his heroic performances in Qatar in leading La Albiceleste to their first triumph since Diego Maradona’s 1986 Mexico magic by being rewarded with the Ballon d’Or for a record eighth time.
After departing Paris Saint-Germain for Inter Miami in the summer, it felt like a lifetime achievement for completing an incomparable career opus in what is likely to be his final World Cup appearance.
With Ronaldo representing Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, it feels like the end of an era after the pair won 10 straight Ballon d’Or gongs between 2008 and 2017 in their preening pomp at Barcelona and Real Madrid.
That was before these much-vaunted voyagers extended the natural lifespan of a footballer heading for the traditional long grass of their late 30s.
In a Ligue 1 title-winning season for PSG, he played 41 matches during the 2022/23 season, plundering 21 goals and providing 20 assists.
The extraordinary list of records feel endless.
"I couldn't imagine having the career that I've had. Everything that I've achieved," said Messi.
“The fortune I've had playing for the best team in the world, the best team in history. It's nice to win these individual trophies.
"To win the Copa America and then the World Cup, to get it done is amazing.”
THE ERA OF BELLINGHAM IS UPON US
If Messi is in the sunset of his sweltering career, Jude Bellingham could be held up as the future.
In truth, the elegant playmaker represents the here and now for Real Madrid and England, already posting staggering numbers in the formative years of his career.
A £114m switch from Borussia Dortmund to Los Blancos in the summer was significant, but did not hint at what was to come for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
The 20-year-old midfielder is already the finished article, weighing in with a sweltering 17 goals so far this season, with his 13 in La Liga seeing him top Spain’s scoring charts at Christmas.
He also became the first Real Madrid player to net in his first four European games in the 4-2 win over Napoli at the Bernabeu in November.
Having picked up the Golden Boy award at Messi’s crowning glory, what price a Bellingham Ballon d’Or in 2024?
ENGLAND’S LIONESSES FALL AGONISINGLY SHORT
Buoyed by their European Championship triumph at Wembley in 2022, England women's team travelled to Australia and New Zealand in July armed with serious aspirations of becoming world champions for the first time.
Ranked among the pre-tournament favourites for the ninth staging of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Sarina Wiegman’s side did not disappoint as they emerged from the group stage with victories over Haiti (1-0), Denmark (1-0) and China (6-1) as unbeaten Group D winners.
A nerve-shredding 4-2 win over Nigeria on penalties in Brisbane after a tense 0-0 draw was followed by a 2-1 triumph over Colombia before tournament hosts Australia were eclipsed 3-1 in the semi-finals.
Olga Carmona scored the winning goal for Spain in the final and was promptly named player of the match, but it was the exuberant Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí who secured the Golden Ball as player of the tournament before collecting the women’s Ballon d’Or for the year.
"It is difficult to improve on this. It has honestly been a unique year," said Bonmati.
"If anyone had said to me when I was little that I would play at the Camp Nou, win a World Cup, two Champions Leagues, a Ballon d'Or, a UEFA prize, extraordinary things have happened for me lately."
For England, such a narrow defeat was agonising coming against a side they had defeated 2-1 in the last eight during their run to European title success last year.
Goalkeeper Mary Earps earned the Golden Glove award for the tournament’s best goalkeeper, and illustrated her value to the team by halting a penalty from Jennifer Hermoso in the final.
THE GYPSY KING COMES THROUGH TORRID NIGHT IN RIYADH
Heavyweight boxing produces moments of shock and awe that can be difficult to mimic in any rival sporting field.
Big men are always at risk of walking onto a career-defining haymaker if they are not careful in the ring, but nobody could have predicted the goings on when undefeated WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury met Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, in a crossover bout in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia in October.
Fury’s boxing skills were expected to dominate a figure making his professional debut in the noble art, but the tactics of Ngannou to lie in wait worked to perfection before a colossal shock seemed possible when the rippling MMA man sparked a telling left hook to leave Fury reeling on the canvas in the third round.
Blowing hard, the English giant recovered to beat the count and force the outcome to the judges’ scorecards over 10 exacting rounds, squeaking a win by a split decision.
Fury earned the decision 96-93 and 95-94 on two cards with a third judge scoring it 95-94 for the man from Cameroon.
It preserved his unbeaten record in the ring, but the damage to 'The Gypsy King' was hardly insignificant.
“Yes, I really believe I won that fight. I should’ve done better, but still I won that fight," said Ngannou afterwards.
Did Fury underestimate his opponent or did Ngannou overachieve? These are questions that will need to be answered next year when you discover how both men emerge such from such a monumental evening.
AJ BACK IN THE MIX
The year ended with Anthony Joshua rejoining the party in the heavyweight division courtesy of a clubbing victory over Swedish opponent Otto Wallin, who was hammered into submission after five exacting rounds in Riyadh.
After losing on points to Usyk in the title bouts in 2021 and 2022, AJ has used 2023 to regain momentum with a points win over Jermaine Franklin and a KO of Robert Helenius in the seventh round at the O2 in London coming before he retired Wallin.
The plan to next face fellow former world champion Deontay Wilder might need to be revisited after the 'Bronze Bomber' lost on points to Joseph Parker on the same bill, but there is no doubt Joshua is back in the mix.
There surely remains a strong public appetite for an all-British duel with Fury as he bids to become a three-time world champion, but much will depend on how the unification bout with Usyk plays out.
"Every fight leads to a final destination," said Joshua. "Keep on praying and working hard. I've got to stay focused because I'm on a journey and it's hard."
SOUTH AFRICA WIN GREATEST RUGBY WORLD CUP
In a land of genuine heavyweights, sometimes blue-riband sports events fail to live up to the pre-tournament hype.
Anybody who witnessed the 10th Rugby World Cup in September and October will only feel sorry that it had to find closure after a breathless two months.
Fine margins in sport dictate victory or defeat, and the destination of the tournament seemed to come down to a fortuitous bounce of the ball here and there. Which it did.
South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland, tournament hosts France and even a rejuvenated England in the end were so close together when push came to shove, it would have been impossible to slide a skelf between the scrums.
Ireland’s pulverising 13-8 win over South Africa at the Stade de France in Paris had to be seen to be believed, a final before the final held in the Pool Stage due to a contentious decision to stage the tournament draw three years before the ultimate event.
The “reward” for winning that contest saw the Springboks paired with France in Paris in the quarter-finals.
It was a rip-snorting contest that produced arguably the finest first half in World Cup history with South Africa finally edging a brutal engagement 29-28 by a solitary point.
Coming from the easier half of the draw, England – with Saracens lock Maro Itoje in magnificent form – almost hijacked the South African party as they suddenly exhibited some of the mean form from their 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning vintage.
An agonising 16-15 defeat saw the prodigious Handre Pollard kick the winning penalty on the 78th minute to deny England a final berth at the death after the reliable boot of captain Owen Farrell had helped his side move 15-6 clear on 69 minutes.
Inspired by the outstanding Ardie Savea, Richie Mo’unga and Aaron Smith, the All Blacks destroyed Argentina 44-6 in the other semi-final to secure their showdown against South Africa.
When the final whistle sounded, South Africa commiserated with New Zealand because they could easily have been on the wrong end of the result with men such as Faf de Klerk, Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit symbolising the country’s greatest show of unity since
Nelson Mandela presented the trophy to Francois Pienaar in 1995.
“This one is for every single person in South Africa, rich, poor, it doesn't matter,” said South African captain Siya Kolisi.
“This win will inspire a lot of people, but it's not going to change how people are in circumstance. But for us as players, it’s going to give us a platform that we can open more opportunities."
BILES CONFIRMS GOAT STATUS IN RETURN TO GLORY
The majestic Simone Biles could easily have opted to retire from gymnastics when she was blighted by a bout of the dreaded “twisties” during the pandemic-delayed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.
Citing a preference to focus on her mental health, the American great withdrew from the first vault of the team final before opting out of the individual all-around final and three of the four individual apparatus finals.
Biles returned to confront the balance beam to snag a bronze in the final, but that looked like it could have been a final mournful farewell to the Olympic stage.
Like the 'yips' in golf, the twisties can be brought on by anxiety in the pursuit of perfection, and provide a debilitating mental block when a gymnast can become disorientated in mid-air, losing all sense of their bearings or what confused brain signals are mapping out in acrobatics.
In not knowing how to land back on the ground, it can also prove highly dangerous in terms of injuries. If not confronted, the mixed messages can prove career-ending for an athlete.
When faith in technique is gone, all is lost in any field of excellence.
Yet at the age of 26, Biles was far from finished with her dominance in the ultimate sporting test of flexibility and finesse.
“I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to compete again because there were multiple times this year where I was in the gym and I was like, ‘I’m actually terrified of this full-in, like I’m not doing it again, never going to do it,'" said Biles ahead of winning an eighth all-around title at the US Championships in August.
“And then I was like, ‘You know what? I’m just going to come back another day, another day.’”
With her place at the World Championships confirmed, Biles did not disappoint in winning a record-breaking sixth individual all-around title at the World Championships in the Belgian city of Antwerp in August to become the most decorated gymnast of all time, in both the men and women's competitions, in overtaking celebrated Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo.
Biles ousted Brazilian defending champion Rebeca Andrade to claim her 21st World Championship gold medal, and won gold in the team category, the women's balance beam final and floor exercise. A silver on the vault was hardly secondary.
"I had to prove to myself that I could still get out here, twist, I could prove all the haters wrong, that I'm not a quitter, this, that, the other," said Biles. "I didn't care as long as I'm out there twisting again, having fun and finding the joy for gymnastics again, who cares?"
She has 37 medals overall, 30 of which have come at the World Championships – 23 gold, four silver and three bronze.
All being well, Biles is coming for more at the Olympic Games in Paris next July, perhaps the scene of a fitting dénouement in the sport. Or perhaps not.
With Biles, who knows where it will all end? She has earned the right to write her own postscript on a staggering career containing more highs and lows than merely the gymnastics arena.
The greatest women athlete of all time? It is difficult to find an obvious alternative.
AUSTRALIA SILENCE INDIA IN OWN BACKYARD
India were unbeaten before the ODI World Cup final with Australia in November at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad which housed over 90,000 fans for the showpiece occasion.
Despite the batting brilliance of captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – who was named player of the tournament with three centuries and an all-time record aggregate score of 765 – the home side had no answer to Travis Head, who hit a fabulous century as Pat Cummins skippered his country to a sixth success by six wickets after chasing down India’s 240 with 42 balls to spare.
“That’s huge, that’s the pinnacle in cricket, winning a World Cup, especially here in India,” said Cummins.
“These are the moments you remember for the rest of your life.”
VERSTAPPEN SETS NEW RECORDS IN F1 DOMINANCE
'Incredibly proud' - Verstappen reflects on winning F1 title
Max Verstappen continues to revel in the days of his life in Formula One. It does not look like the peerless Dutchman or his Red Bull team will run out of road anytime soon in a fast lane seemingly devised for only one man and his machine.
A third straight F1 World Championship has been delivered with records tumbling with every race won.
Verstappen oversaw an outlandish 19 victories in 22 races, overhauling his own record of 15 from last year.
He claimed the most consecutive Grand Prix victories between Miami in May and Monza in Italy in winning 10 straight races, securing the title with six races remaining of the season in Qatar, a record that matched Michael Schumacher in 2002 for the earliest point a driver could claim the title.
Verstappen also amassed a record points total of 575 from a possible 620 on his way to his latest trophy success. How do you improve upon near perfection?
“It will be very hard to have another season like this, we know that,” said Verstappen.
“For me, naturally, the motivation is there, because I know that for most of the races that I go to this year, I have a big chance of winning, so that’s great.”
How you view winning or losing remains up to the individual, but nobody should apologise for putting themselves first in their own personal duels with everyday existence.
If sport was based merely around participation, we would not be able to appreciate the true historical essence of such dedicated levels of excellence witnessed over the past year.
Indeed, the ability to marvel and celebrate the indomitable champion spirit, the refusal to yield in time and innate will to win of charismatic figures like Shiffrin, Dettori, Aspinall, Fury, Djokovic, LeBron, Biles and O'Sullivan provide a wonderful life lesson.
In crafting the gold standard for future generations to follow, they also entertain millions with a liberating, mood-enhancing sense of escapism from the hardship and demands that the grind of daily living inevitably throws up.
Sport can mean many things all at once, but the sensation that comes from winning, from learning to express yourself under extreme pressure in the brutal, unforgiving arena and emerging triumphant, continues to remain a true art form in its own right.
