Serena Williams had yet another banner year in 2013, and as a result, she was named "Athlete of the Year" by the Associated Press for the third time. 

According to ESPN, Williams won plenty this year. She went 78-4 with 11 titles, including at the French Open and US Open, raising her Grand Slam championship total to 17. She compiled a 34-match winning streak. She earned more than $12 million in prize money, a record for women's tennis. In February, she became the oldest No. 1 in WTA rankings history and never left that perch. 

Furthermore, according to Sports Illustrated, the vote by news organizations was about as lopsided as many of Williams's matches this season. She received 55 of 96 votes, while Brittney Griner, a two-time AP Player of the Year in college basketball and the No. 1 pick in April's WNBA draft, finished second with 14. Swimmer Missy Franklin was next with 10.

The Male Athlete of the Year recipient will be announced Thursday.

Williams, who grew up in Compton, Calif., and turned 32 in September, produced the finest women's tennis season in years. According to the WTA:

  • Her .951 winning percentage was the best since Steffi Graf's .977 in 1989; 
  • Her 11 titles were the most since Martina Hingis' 12 in 1997; 
  • Her winning streak was the longest since her sister, Venus, had a 35-match run in 2000.

''She just continues to be an inspiration to American tennis,'' said Gordon Smith, the executive director of the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the US Open. ''Her year this year? Unforgettable.''

By adding a fifth career US Open championship, and a second French Open title, Williams also moved within one Grand Slam trophy of the 18 apiece won by Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert (the all-time record is 24).