Tennis has always featured strongly in the ‘Oscars of Sport’, the Laureus World Sports Awards, and this year is no exception, with Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, the Swiss Davis Cup team, Li Na and Marin Cilic all in the running for gongs.

The shortlists, which comprise six nominations in each of seven categories, are compiled from a ballot of the world’s sporting media and the winners are voted for by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 50 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time headed by Chairman Edwin Moses.

In the sportsman of the year category, Djokovic is up against the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Cristiano Ronaldo and Rory McIlroy. He won the award in 2012 after a remarkable 2011 campaign that saw him win three Grand Slams and five Masters. Last year, he won Wimbledon and the World Tour Finals to end the year at No1 for the third time.

Williams and Li both feature in the sportswoman of the year list. Williams is going for her fourth Laureus Award: She won this category in 2003 and 2010, and also the Comeback Award in 2007, and is strong favourite after becoming the oldest ever No1 female in tennis and claiming her 18th Grand Slam at the US Open. She has subsequently went on to win her 19th in Australia.