Laureus Awards: Rafael Nadal, Osaka & Gauf among nominees

Berlin: Tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka along with teen sensation Coco Gauf are competing for this year's Laureus Awards after being nominated in different categories on Wednesday.

Three-time winner and world number one Spaniard Nadal is in contention for the 'World Sportsman of the Year' award alongside six-time Formula 1 World champion Lewis Hamilton, six-time World MotoGP champion Marc M rquez and six-time FIFA World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi.

Also nominated in the same category are Eliud Kipchoge, the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours and golf legend Tiger Woods, who won his 15th Major Championship at The Masters. The awards Ceremony will be held in Berlin on February 17.

In the 'World Sportswoman of the Year' category, Osaka, the first Asian tennis player to be ranked number one in singles is competing with FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Ball and Golden Boot winner Megan Rapinoe, gymnastic great Simone Biles, sprinters Allyson Felix and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce along with US skiing great Mikaela Shiffrin.

FIFA Women's World Cup champions USA Women's Football Team and UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool FC are the football nominees in the Laureus World Team of the Year category.