Rafael Nadal declared the crown prince of sport

Spain's tennis world number one Rafael Nadal has won Spain's Prince of Asturias prize for sport, the online edition of daily Spanish newspaper el Mundo reported.

The winner of the prize, which last year went to seven times Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, will be officially unveiled later on Wednesday.

Nadal officially became the new world number one last month, ending Swiss superstar Roger Federer's run of 237 weeks atop the ATP rankings.

He has won eight titles this season including his fourth French Open crown and first Wimbledon trophy - the latter a marathon epic effort to dethrone Federer - along with the Olympic gold medal and is presently competing to win the US Open title.

Eight Prince of Asturias prizes worth 50,000 euros (73,000 euros) apiece are awarded each year in categories such as arts, scientific research, sports, letters and humanities.

The recipients also receive a specially commissioned Joan Miro sculpture, a diploma and an insignia.

Past winners of the Prince of Asturias prize for sport have also included retired US athletics legend Carl Lewis and US naturalised Czech-born tennis ace Martina Navratilova.