Serena Williams honored as SI’s Sportsperson of the Year

This photo provided by Sports Illustrated shows the cover of the 2015 "Sports Person of the Year" magazine issue, featuring tennis player Serena Williams. (Yu Tsai for Sports Illustrated via AP) USAGE IN NORTH AMERICA ONLY FOR TWO WEEKS, ENDING DEC. 31, 2015, TO PROMOTE THE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SPORTSPERSON ISSUE ONLY. CREDIT: YU TSAI FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED; ANY USE AFTER DEC. 31, 2015 REQUIRES PERMISSION FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. NO ARCHIVING; NO LICENSING; MANDATORY CREDIT This photo provided by Sports Illustrated shows the cover of the 2015 "Sports Person of the Year" magazine issue, featuring tennis player Serena Williams. (Yu Tsai for Sports Illustrated via AP) USAGE IN NORTH AMERICA ONLY FOR TWO WEEKS, ENDING DEC. 31, 2015, TO PROMOTE THE SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SPORTSPERSON ISSUE ONLY. CREDIT: YU TSAI FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED; ANY USE AFTER DEC. 31, 2015 REQUIRES PERMISSION FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. NO ARCHIVING; NO LICENSING; MANDATORY CREDIT

By Associated Press December 14, 2015 2 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Serena Williams is Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year – the first female athlete honored on her own by the magazine in more than 30 years.

Williams came within two matches of tennis’ first calendar-year Grand Slam since 1988, a bid that ended with a semifinal loss at the U.S. Open.

In all, the 34-year-old American went 53-3 during 2015 with five titles, including at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. Williams was No. 1 in the WTA rankings all season.

“She was the most deserving person for the award. She had an amazing year. The way she won her events; the fact that she’s done this for so many years at such a high level,” said Paul Fichtenbaum, editor of the Sports Illustrated Group. “She was a terrific candidate in a year of terrific candidates.”

Monday’s announcement marks a switch to the formal name of the SI award; past recipients were touted as Sportsman or Sportswoman of the Year.