By Chris Oddo/ Friday, September 27, 2013
The 17-time Grand Slam champion secures the WTA's year-end No. 1 spot for the third time in her career.
Photo Source: AP
As if Serena Williams didn't already have enough to write home about.
In a year that has seen Williams go 67-4 with two Grand Slams and nine titles, while also becoming the first female to ever cross the $9 million barrier in prize money, the 32-year-old has locked up the WTA's top ranking for a third time.
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“Serena has proven time and time again throughout her career that she is an incredible champion, both on and off the court,” said WTA CEO Stacey Allaster in a statement. “This season she continues to rewrite the record books, proving that she is one of the sport's greatest athletes of all time.”
In addition to becoming the first female to earn $9 million in prize money, Williams (along with Rafael Nadal) earned the biggest prize money payout in the history of the sport at $3.6 million at the U.S. Open.
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The 32-year-old has topped the WTA rankings six times, and will begin her 156th week as No. 1 on Monday. She is also the oldest woman to ever hold the WTA's No. 1 ranking.
Williams becomes the seventh player to finish the season as the WTA's year-end No. 1 three or more times during her career, joining Steffi Graf (8), Martina Navratilova (7), Chris Evert (5), Lindsay Davenport (4), Justine Henin (3) and Martina Hingis (3).