Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic is winner of the 50^th jubilee edition of the poll of the Bulgarian news agency BTA Balkan Athlete of the Year for 2023. With 103 points, he heads the standings for the 8^th time. Two basketball players come second and third - Nikola Jokic, Serbia with 72 points and Aleksandar Vezenkov, Bulgaria with 38 points. The traditional annual poll is conducted by the BTA among the national news agencies of the Balkan countries.

Fourth with 36 points comes Miltiadis Tentoglou, Greece, who is world outdoor champion and European indoor champion in 2023. Firth with 35 points is world long jump champion Ivana Spanovic, Serbia. Italian motorcycle racer, 2023 MotoGP World Riders’ Champion Francesco Bagnaia is 6^th with 32 points. Turkish volleyball player Melissa Vargas, who helped her country win the European title, comes one point behind.