Serena Williams Honored as Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year

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

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."

Williams wrote on her Facebook page that she was "beyond honored." 

 
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This year was spectacular for me. For SportsIllustrated to recognize my hard work, my dedication, and my sheer...

Posted by Serena Williams on Monday, December 14, 2015

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.

"We just felt this was a natural evolution. ... We're not making a huge deal out of it," Fichtenbaum said. "It just feels like the right time to make the change."

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Runner Mary Decker in 1983 was the last female athlete to earn the magazine's award by herself.

The U.S. women's national soccer team was picked by SI in 1999; speedskater Bonnie Blair in 1994 and gymnast Mary Lou Retton in 1984 were co-honorees with male Olympians.

"Men's sports has dominated until recently, when women's sports has grown in popularity, and the competition is better than ever," Fichtenbaum said. "There's more of a focus on women's sports now. It's grown considerably. Specifically why? I'm not sure."

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