Serena Williams Crowned As AP Female Athlete Of The Decade

Published 12/29/2019, 4:50 AM EST

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American tennis legend Serena Williams has undoubtedly been one of the foremost athletes of the decade. Her achievements both on and off the tennis court made headlines around the world.

Not only did she win 12 grand slam titles in the decade, but she also became the poster girl of women empowerment during her various disputes with the authorities. While people took different stands on her behaviour, everyone agreed on the fact that she’s a solid sportsperson who deserves respect.

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The Associated Press (AP) has decided to consolidate this fact by awarding her the AP Female Athlete of the Decade award.

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How Is The AP Female Athlete Of The Decade Chosen?

The Female athlete of the decade is chosen after a vote by AP member sports editors and AP beat writers. The body decided to confer this award upon the American great on Saturday.

The AP male athlete of the decade who is also chosen through a similar process will be announced on Sunday.

Gymnast Simone Biles was also in contention. She had won the yearly award but lost out to Serena in the decade award. Biles has nothing but respect for Serena. The gymnast describes Serena Williams as her idol.

“She’s remained humble. She’s stayed true to herself and her character and I think that’s really neat about an athlete.”

American tennis legend Billie Jean King also congratulated Serena for the award.

What Has Serena Achieved This Decade?

Serena Williams’ records have been surreal during the past decade. The American legend has won 12 grand slams during 2010-2019. This includes four Wimbledon titles, three US Open titles, three Australian Open titles and two titles at Roland Garros.

In fact, she won the four slams in a row from the US Open in 2014 to the Wimbledon in 2015.

She signified the modern woman through her incredible feats. After having her baby in 2017, she’s entered the finals of four major tournaments.

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Apart from this, Serena won the Olympic gold in singles and doubles in 2012. The American star was also the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam in the professional era and claim the number 1 spot in WTA rankings.

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What’s Next For Serena Williams?

The sun is finally setting on Serena’s career. 2020 may be her last year in the sport. It seems like she’s experimenting with her game and playing with the heart as she’ll soon be seen teaming up with arch-rival Caroline Wozniacki.

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Serena Williams can retire knowing that she’s achieved everything humanly possible for a tennis player. Williams will go down as not just the greatest female athlete, but one of the greatest athletes ever (despite what a misogynistic TV believes).

How do you think 2020 will play out for Serena Williams?

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Written by:

Aryan Sharma

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Aryan Sharma is a WWE and Tennis author and editor at EssentiallySports. Being a journalism graduate from Delhi University, he combines his love for creating content with an astute knowledge of almost three eras of professional wrestling. He's also a Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova fan and likes to write on the social impact of these two legends beyond their achievements on the tennis court.
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