London: World No.1 tennis player Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Argentina's football star Lionel Messi are the front runners for the the Laureus World Sports Awards on February 6.

Among the six nominees for World Sportsman of the Year, Djokovic is tipped as one of the favourites. The Serb won the Australian, Wimbledon and US Open Grand Slams and had a winning record of 70-6 in 2011.

His closest contender is being seen as Messi. If Messi wins, he will be the first footballer to take home the award, Xinhua reported.

However, tennis players seem to be favoured by Laureus, as 16-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer was crowned four times. The Jamaican runner Usain Bolt, who holds both World and Olympics records is also in contention for his third Laureus award.

The 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony will be staged in the heart of London at Central Hall, Westminster. Many great names of sports are expected to attend the ceremony.