Serena named AP female athlete of decade

Tennis superstar Serena Williams was named female athlete of the decade by The Associated Press, as voted on by AP member sports editors and beat writers.

Williams, winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, won 12 of those majors during the past decade — no female player has won more than three during the same span — including a run of four in a row from the U.S. Open in 2014 through Wimbledon in 2015, for her second self-named “Serena Slam.”

She also was the runner-up another seven times at major tournaments over the past decade, including four of the seven she has entered since returning to action after having a baby in 2017.

Finishing second among voters was gymnast Simone Biles, the 2019 AP female athlete of the year, followed by swimmer Katie Ledecky in third, and skiers Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

“When the history books are written, it could be that the great Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time . ... Irrespective of the adversity and the odds that are facing her, she always believes in herself,” said Stacey Allaster, USTA chief executive and former WTA CEO, via The Associated Press.

“Whether it was health issues; coming back; having a child; almost dying from that — she has endured it all and she is still in championship form. Her records speak for themselves.”

In all, Williams reached the finals at 19 of the 33 majors she competed in and collected 37 singles titles during the past decade (she boasts a career total of 72 singles titles) — 11 more than anyone else.

Williams is currently No. 10 in the WTA rankings. She last played in the finals of the U.S. Open in September, where she lost to 19-yearold Canadian Bianca Andreescu.