Matt Brown: Why Serena Williams doesn't deserve Laureus Sportswoman Of The Year Award

Serena Williams during her second round singles match at the ASB Classic in 2017. Photo / Photosport

The Laureus World Sports Awards have no credibility any more. How on earth can Serena Williams be named World Sportswoman of the Year in 2017?

She played two tournaments, Auckland's ASB Classic where she threw her toys after losing in the second round, before going on to win her 23rd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

Williams later revealed she was in the early stages of her pregnancy during her triumph. She didn't play again last year and gave birth to a baby girl in September.

Serena Williams is a phenomenal athlete and has now won the Laureus Sportswoman of the year award four times, but there is no way she deserves it last year. Her rivals all completed full seasons, runner Allyson Felix became the most decorated athlete in the history of the World Track and Field Championships winning gold in the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay, and bronze in the 400 metres in London to give her a career total of 16 medals, including 11 gold.

Swimmer Katie Ledecky won five gold medals at the World Championships in Budapest and she is still just 19. Wimbledon champion Grabiner Muguruza played the entire year and reached world number one.

Middle distance runner Caster Semenya won gold in the 800 metres at the World Championships in London, her third gold in the event. Young skiier Mikaela Shiffrin won 11 World Cup races and her third straight World Championship Slalom gold. Any one of them would have been a more worthy winner than Serena.

Roger Federer has won sportsman of the year for the fifth time but first since 2008 after earlier winning comeback of the year. You could mount a strong case his great rival Rafael Nadal should have won Sportsman of the year having also won two Grand Slams in 2017, including a record 10th French Open and ending the year as world number one.

That said Federer is a worthy recipient but I wouldn't have given him two goings. Barcelona's astonishing comeback to beat Paris Saint Germain from 6-1 down on aggregate in their Champions League football tie better fits the bill.

But such is the global appeal of tennis, and clearly there are some big tennis fans on the Laureus Academy which has handed nine sportsman of the year gongs to tennis players in the 18 years since its inception.

Women's tennis has won six of the 18 sportswoman of the year gongs.

Team of the Year could have gone to any of the nominees including Emirates Team New Zealand and the Mercedes Formula 1 team who won were a class above their rivals in the sport.

It's ridiculous that a golfer like Sergio Garcia won the Breakthrough Player of the Year award. Garcia won the newcomer of the year 18 years ago and since then has won 30 professional titles.

He had already broken through. A more rewarding recipient would have been the 17 year old Latvian tennis player Jelena Ostapenko who five months earlier was an unknown when she played in Auckland's ASB Classic, and went on to win the French Open title with a dramatic comeback in the final.

The fact convicted doper Justin Gatlin was even nominated for comeback of the year after winning the 100 metres gold in London says it all really.