Which magazine named Serena Williams its Sportsperson of the Year in 2015?

Sports Illustrated named Serena Williams its 2015 Sportsperson of the Year.

The magazine announced the honor on December 14, 2015, recognizing a season in which Williams dominated women’s tennis. She won the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon, becoming the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to hold all four major singles titles at once, although Williams’s own run ended before the 2015 US Open final.

The award was a magazine honor, not the same as the WTA Player of the Year or the International Tennis Federation’s World Champion award. Williams also received those season-end distinctions in 2015, reflecting how broadly her achievements were recognized. Sports Illustrated’s award focused on her sporting performance and cultural impact rather than simply counting tournament victories.

Williams became only the third solo woman to receive the magazine’s Sportsperson of the Year honor. Her selection also carried wider significance because she had faced sustained public scrutiny over her appearance, competitiveness, and on-court conduct while continuing to set records in a historically important era of women’s tennis.