DJOKOVIC NAMED BBC OVERSEAS SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic won the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award on Thursday night. He beat Barcelona and Argentina footballer Lionel Messi and German Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel to the prestigious award.

"Thank you for this beautiful award," Djokovic told BBC Sport in a recorded interview. "I am very honoured and privileged to be on the list of great champions who have won this award in the past.

"Looking back on 2011, it has been the best season of my career. I won three Grand Slams and, who knows, next year, one of my goals is to go for all four." 

The 24-year-old Serbian compiled a 70-6 match record in 2011, which included winning his first 41 matches. He won the Australian Open,Wimbledon, US Open and seven other singles titles.

First awarded in 1960, Djokovic follows in the footsteps of Rod Laver, who won in 1969, Arthur Ashe (1975), Bjorn Borg (1979), Jimmy Connors(1982), Boris Becker (1985), Andre Agassi (1992), Goran Ivanisevic(2001), Roger Federer (2004, 2006-07) and Rafael Nadal (2010).

The winner was decided by a panel of sports editors from British national and regional newspapers and magazines.

Djokovic was recently nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year award. The awards ceremony will be held on 6 February in London.