Just weeks after showing off her naked body in ESPN The Magazine’s first "Body Issue", Serena Williams stripped down as "The Athlete" and one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year.

Billie Jean King explains why Serena was chosen:

When most people would falter, she is able to raise her game a level, and that’s what you look for in champions. I feel confident she will win more major singles titles than my 12. And that makes me very proud.

Serena is now safe to do whatever she wants to, she finished the year ranked No.1, won two Grand Slams and the Sony Ericsson Championships during the 2009 tennis season. (source: Down the Line)

World No.1 Serena Williams earned $6.5 million in 2009, which is the largest amount of prize money ever earned in women's tennis during a single season.

Williams won two Grand Slam titles in 2009 – Australian Open and Wimbledon – and finished the successful year in style by earning the season-ending No.1 ranking and winning the Sony Ericsson Championships.

Previously, Justine Henin held the record with her slightly under $5.5 million earned in 2007.

Serena Williams' career prize money is now at record $28.5 million. (source: ESPN, photo by our reader Jacob)

Serena Williams defeated defending champion Venus Williams to win the Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2009.

Serena beat her older sister Venus for the second time at this year’s Championships and faced no break points en route to a 6-2 7-6(4) victory in the season finale. The match was not spectacular, as most of the meetings of the Williams sisters are. Both players had heavy strapping on their left legs, which was just the appropriate ending to the injury plagued tournament.

Serena, who will end the season ranked No.1, earned $1.55 million in Doha after finishing the tournament undefeated. (photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

The Williams sisters saw off their semifinal opponents to reach the final of the $4,550,000 Sony Ericsson Championships – Doha 2009.

Jelena Jankovic entered the semifinals more due to luck than anything else. She lost the matches she played against healthy opponents, and won two thanks to injured Dinara Safina and Caroline Wozniacki. Today she won the first set but eventually lost to defending champion Venus Williams 5-7 6-3 6-4, who has thus moved to the finals.

Venus will next play sister Serena Williams, who had a 6-4 0-1 retirement victory when Caroline Wozniacki pulled out with a left abdominal strain after just 45 minutes of play. It is yet another unfortunate injury for Wozniacki this week, who had been troubled by a leg injury throughout the tournament.

Serena leads an all-time record against Venus 12-10, and is coming into the encounter with three successive victories over her sister, including the extremely tight one here in Doha a few days ago. (photo via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)

Serena Williams saved a match point in the deciding set to defeat sister Venus Williams for the third time in a row.

Second-seeded Serena lost the first set, then won the second, and in the third set she established a two-break lead, 4-1. Seventh-seeded Venus, defending champion at the Sony Ericsson Championships, followed with winning five of the next six games to go up 6-5 and even earn a match point. Serena fought it off, held for 6-all and won a tiebreak for a 5-7 6-4 7-6(4) victory.

As already mentioned here on Women’s Tennis Blog, Serena will finish the year ranked No.1. Serena learned that after the match with Venus, as she secured the ranking by virtue of Dinara Safina’s withdrawal who played the preceding match. (via Sony Ericsson WTA Tour)