今年在美网对裁判恶语相向遭重罚、但靠全年出色发挥夺回世界“网坛一姐”称号的美国名将塞瑞娜•威廉姆斯被美联社评选为2009年度最佳女运动员。这项年度最佳评选活动始于1931年，每年评选一次，参加投票的是美联社的编辑。今年参加投票的共158人，小威得到了其中的66票，以绝对优势当选；而其他入围选手得票数均未能超过18票。 显然，小威在美网女单半决赛中的小小恶行并未对其头号地位产生影响。小威曾在七年前获此殊荣，而今年能够再次当选，她表示很开心，并且庆幸自己还在打网球，感觉自己回到了2002年时的状态。

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Playing her best at the most important events, Serena Williams re-established herself as the top player in women's tennis in 2009 and was a landslide choice as Female Athlete of the Year by members of The Associated Press.

Playing her best at the most important events, Serena Williams re-established herself as the top player in women's tennis in 2009 and was a landslide choice as Female Athlete of the Year by members of The Associated Press.

Williams received 66 of 158 votes cast by editors at U.S. newspapers that are members of the AP美国联合通讯社. No other candidate got more than 18 votes in the tally²标签，计数器, which was announced Tuesday.

Clearly, Williams' most infamous³ on-court episode — a tirade⁴激烈的长篇演说 directed at a line judge after a foot-fault call near the end of her U.S. Open semifinal loss in September — didn't hurt her standing⁵ in the eyes of the voters.

"People realize that I'm a great player, and one moment doesn't define a person's career," Williams told the AP. "And I was right, for the most part: It wasn't right the way I reacted — I never said it was — but I was right about the call."

She also noted⁶ that the outburst爆发，破裂, which resulted in a record fine and two-year probationary⁷ period试用期，见习期 at Grand Slam tournaments, "got a lot more people excited about tennis."

The 28-year-old American tends to do that, thanks to her powerful, athletic⁸ play and her outgoing乐于助人的，外向的 personality.

"We can attribute the strength and the growth of women's tennis a great deal to her," WTA chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster said in a telephone interview. "She is a superstar."

Williams, who is based in Florida, also won the AP award in 2002, a seven-year gap that is the longest between AP Female Athlete of the Year honors since golf's Patty Berg won in 1943 and 1955.

"I'm just happy and blessed to even be playing seven years later. All this is a bonus, really," Williams said. "In 2002, I just was really dominant占优势的，支配的, and I think in 2009, I just brought that back. I kind of became that player again."