The Laureus award, known as the most prestigious sports award worldwide, is given by the Laureus Academy.
Other nominees in the category of the sportswoman of the year were Belgian tennis player Kim Clijsters, athletes Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia, Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, Carolina Cluft of Sweden, Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain and Swedish golf player Annika Sorenstam.
Croatian tennis player Goran Ivanisevic, a Wimbeldon Cup winner, is the only other Croatian athlete to have won the Laureus Award.