Serena Williams is Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year

Serena Williams is Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year — the first female athlete honoured 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.”

The cover photo of Williams in high heels, sitting on a throne was “her idea, intended… to express her own ideal of femininity, strength, power,” managing editor Christian Stone wrote on SI.com.

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.”