The Associated Press has named Serena Williams and LeBron James as the female and male athletes of the decade, crowning them for their unparalleled domination of tennis and the NBA throughout the 2010s.
In their profile of Williams, the AP listed her jaw-dropping accomplishments which included a dozen Grand Slam singles titles.
She has won more Grand Slam titles than any other tennis player in the modern era beginning in 1968 and has held impressive streaks at almost all of the sport's biggest tournaments.
Williams' decorated resume reached astronomical levels in 2014 and 2015 when she managed to win four Wimbledon titles, three U.S. Open championships, three Australian Open trophies and two at the French Open.
The tennis star began racking up so many wins that the sport created the "Serena Slam" moniker to honor her astounding achievement of holding all of the major tournament titles in one year. She won four straight tournaments from the U.S. Open in 2014 to Wimbledon in 2015, marking the second time she performed the unparalleled "Serena Slam" feat.
At her worst, she was runner-up in seven major tournaments, most of which have come since having her first child in 2017. According to the AP, she has made it to the finals in 19 of the 33 major tournaments she played in since 2010, a 58% rate.
In an interview with the AP in 2013, Williams said, “Whenever I lose, I get more determined, and it gives me something more to work toward. I don’t get complacent, and I realize I need to work harder and I need to do better and I want to do better — or I wouldn’t be playing the game.”
She spent nearly four years as No. 1 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) worldwide rankings and continues to reach Grand Slam finals into her late 30s, something no female player has ever done.
Williams has previously won AP Female Athlete of the Year in 2013, 2015 and 2018 as well as 2002 and 2009.
“When the history books are written, it could be that the great Serena Williams is the greatest athlete of all time…I like to call it the ‘Serena Superpowers’ — that champion’s mindset. Irrespective of the adversity and the odds that are facing her, she always believes in herself. Whether it was health issues, coming back, having a child, almost dying from that — she has endured it all and she is still in championship form. Her records speak for themselves,” former WTA CEO Stacey Allaster told the AP.
One day after naming Williams as the Female Athlete Of The Decade, the AP named James the Male Athlete Of The Decade in a landslide victory over New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Olympian Usain Bolt.
Like Williams, James has been able to sustain his greatness far beyond the age when most players are long retired. In his 17th season, he leads the league in assists per game and is still a top scorer.
James kicked off the decade with a widely criticized but league-altering announcement dubbed "The Decision," which saw him move from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat.
Since then, he's made it to four NBA Finals, winning two and eventually heading back to Cleveland, where he made it to another four NBA finals. He brought the city its first and only NBA Championship in 2016 after a legendary Game 7 performance.
James' huge block at the end of the final game is now etched in NBA history and has cemented him as one of the greatest NBA players to ever step on the court.
Beyond his impressive resume, James' decision to move to Miami fundamentally changed the league at its core, ushering in a decade of unprecedented player movement now named "The Player Empowerment Era."
Although "The Decision" was widely panned as a mistake on James' part at the time, the forceful act allowed the league's other stars to begin flexing their power in determining where they played.
“I don’t live in regret. There’s no moment in this last decade that I wish I could have back. If a situation was bad or you feel like you could have done better, then I learned from it. When you believe in your calling or you believe in yourself, then it doesn’t matter what other people say or how other people feel. And if you allow that to stop you or deter you from your mission, then you don’t get anywhere," James told the AP on Monday, one day before his 35th birthday.
James flexed that newfound power again when he left Cleveland for a second time to join the Los Angeles Lakers, who are favored to win the 2020 NBA Championship.
When asked about his greatest achievement of the decade, he spoke about life outside of basketball.
“There’s a lot of moments from this decade that would be up there, winning the two Miami championships, winning a championship in Cleveland, the chase-down block. But the best moment? Definitely marrying Savannah. That would be No. 1,” James said.
