• WTA

Serena named WTA Player of the Year

ESPN staff
November 29, 2012
Serena Williams won her 15th grand slam title at the US Open © Getty Images
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Serena Williams has capped a stellar season after being named WTA Player of the Year for a fourth time.

After a slow start to 2012, the world No. 3 won 48 of 50 matches from the start of the clay season, and landed back-to-back grand slams at Wimbledon and the US Open to take her career tally to 15.

Williams, 31, also won double Olympic gold at London 2012, winning both the women's singles as well as the doubles with sister Venus. She defeated French Open champion Maria Sharapova 6-0 6-1 in the Olympic final before capping a superb season with victory at the WTA Championships.

Having previously won the award in 2002, 2008 and 2009, Williams is one of only three women to have won the award more than twice, although she is some way short of Steffi Graf and Marina Navratilova, who won eight and seven awards respectively.

"I've always said if I'm playing well and doing everything right, it's really difficult to beat me," Williams said after her victory in Turkey at the end of the season. "I still believe that, which is great that I can still kind of play that way."

British teenager Laura Robson was named WTA Newcomer of the Year on Wednesday.

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