World number one tennis champion Serena Williams will face tough competition against other renowned female athletes including Malaysian squash champion, Nicol Ann David for the 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards.

The French Open and US Grand Slam winner won the Laureus Awards in 2003, 2007, and 2010.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova said among those also in the running to be nominated for the prestigious award are Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the fastest woman on earth, American teenage swimming sensations Missy Franklin and Kate Ledecky, skiing world-beater Tina Maze and seven-time world squash champion Nicol David.

“The sky’s the limit for her in tennis, but Serena does have tough competitions this year for her fourth Laureus Award. There have been some wonderful performances in so many sports, particularly from some of the younger athletes like Missy Franklin and Kate Ledecky, and of course great champions in their own sports like Inbee Park, Shelly-Anne Fraser-Pryce and Tirunesh Dibaba. You could make a case for almost any of them to win the Award this year, but my money is on Serena,” she said in a media statement.

Martina also commented on Nicol Ann David, who she said brought future in sports and has a chance to win the prestigious title.

“Malaysia’s Nicol David showed her total dominance of women’s squash in 2013. Her victory in the Hong Kong Open in December was her sixth World Tour title of the year, which included the China Open and the US Open. It was also her 71st World Tour career win and a record-equalling 90th World Tour final appearance,” said Martina.

Nicol has been No.1 in the world rankings since August 2006 and has won the World Squash Championship for a record seven times.

The Laureus World Sports Awards, now celebrating its 15th year, is recognised as the premier honours event in the international sporting calendar.

The names of the six Nominees for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, as voted by the Laureus Media Selection Panel, will be announced later this month and the winner will be unveiled at the awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on March 26.

Interestingly, the first Patron of Laureus was Nelson Mandela. At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000, he said:

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”

This has become the philosophy of Laureus; the driving force behind its work.