For the first time in three decades, Sports Illustrated has named a female as “Sportsperson of The Year,” and she is Serena Williams.
Williams tells SI, “This year was spectacular. For Sports Illustrated to recognize my hard work, dedication and sheer determination with this award gives me hope to continue on and do better. As I always say, it takes a village — not just one person. This is not just an accomplishment for me, but for my whole team and all of my fans. I am beyond honored.”
This year the tennis star accumulated a 53-3 record even after losing the U.S. Open to Roberta Vinci and she took home three tournament titles — giving her a second career Serena Slam. And over a six-week period, Williams had double the amount of ranking points than that of the No. 2 player in the world. Because of it all, SI “honors her dominance in 2015.”
Following the U.S. Open, Williams admits that she did learn the hard way after her loss to Vinici, but it’s helped her prepare to always have her game face on. She tells SI, “I didn’t want to necessarily put a fist through a wall (when I lost at the U.S. Open) — I felt more like, Ah, man, I was so close! I’ll always think about what I could have done better. Could I have come up on the net? Been more consistent? It’s not anger. It’s analyzing: What can I do next time?”
So just wait, she’ll be back better and tougher than ever.
