Eileen Gu & Novak Djokovic I Opening I Laureus World Sports Awards
Live from the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid,
welcome to the Laureus World Sports Awards,
the most prestigious sports awards on the planet.
So what better way to kick off than to welcome our hosts,
the most decorated freestyle skier in history
and the most successful male tennis player of all time,
Aileen Gu and Novak Djokovic.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
You all look incredible tonight.
And hello to everyone watching all around the world.
Welcome to Madrid, a city which lives and breathes sport.
Very impressive.
English, Spanish, Mandarin.
Let me try.
Man, you...
Apologies for my accent.
And let me...
That was so good.
It's kind of...
It's a Beijing accent.
Yeah, sorry.
And let me say...
Serbian?
Yes.
Don't tell me you're speaking that too.
Wow, impressive.
And of course, to our hosts...
Gracias.
It's brilliant to be here in Madrid.
What a city.
And thank you for welcoming Laureus
at this incredible gathering of athletes once again.
Looking out at all of you is proof that the Laureus Awards
are truly the athletes' awards.
And to be here hosting with you tonight, Novak,
is an amazing honor.
Well, it's an amazing honor for me as well.
An absolute pleasure to be here with you, Aileen.
Now, you wouldn't know this, but skiing is in my blood too.
I was practically born in the mountains.
And of course, you're fresh off the Italian slopes.
You've earned your three additional Olympic medals,
adding to the already incredible accolades of 20 World Cup.
Please, a round of applause.
Incredible career.
Congratulations.
What a feat.
Thank you, Novak.
Well, with 24 Grand Slam titles and five Laureus Awards,
that's not so bad yourself, GOAT.
Not too bad.
Thank you, Aileen.
That's very kind of you.
Now, you and I know how special Laureus is.
All the athletes want to win it.
When you do, you're not just on top of your game,
but you're on top of the world.
Because the jury is made up of living legends,
the Laureus Academy members.
They've done that, been there, and set the standard.