You can’t talk about modern sports media without talking about the impact of Serena Williams on Sports Illustrated. Honestly, it’s more than just a collection of magazine covers; it’s a decades-long timeline of how we, as a culture, struggled to figure out where a dominant, unapologetic Black woman fit into the "traditional" sports landscape.
Some people saw her covers as long-overdue validation. Others saw them as a distraction from her actual 23 Grand Slam titles. Basically, every time she appeared on that gloss, it shifted the conversation.
The 2015 Sportsperson of the Year: A Throne and a Storm
In 2015, Serena was on a tear. She went 53-3. She won three majors. She was so far ahead of the world No. 2 in ranking points that the gap was wider than the distance between No. 2 and No. 1,000. It was objective, statistical dominance.
When Sports Illustrated named her the Sportsperson of the Year, it was a big deal. She was the first solo woman to get the honor since Mary Decker in 1983. That is a 32-year gap. Let that sink in for a second.
But the cover photo? That’s where things got heated.
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Instead of a tennis skirt or a mid-serve action shot, Serena was pictured on a gold throne. She wore a black lace bodysuit and patent leather pumps. Her legs were draped over the side. She looked like royalty.
- The Praise: Many fans loved it. It was a "Queen of the Court" moment that leaned into her power and femininity simultaneously.
- The Backlash: Critics—and yeah, they were loud—complained it was too "sexy" or that it took away from her athleticism. Some even argued that American Pharoah (the Triple Crown-winning horse) should have won the award instead.
Think about that. People were literally arguing that a horse deserved the cover more than a woman who had just completed her second "Serena Slam." It highlighted a weird tension in sports journalism that still exists today: why do we feel the need to "soften" or "glamorize" female athletes instead of just letting their sweat and muscle speak for themselves?
More Than Just a Tennis Player
Serena’s relationship with the brand didn’t start or end with that throne. She’s been a fixture across different versions of the magazine.
She appeared in the SI Swimsuit Issue multiple times—2003, 2004, and again in 2017. The 2017 shoot in Turks and Caicos was particularly notable because it happened right around the time she was winning the Australian Open while pregnant. That shoot focused heavily on her strength. It wasn't about being a "model" in the traditional sense; it was about being an athlete whose body was a high-performance machine.
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Then you have the Fashionable 50. In 2019, she didn't just make the list; she was the cover star for the most stylish athletes in the world.
For Serena, fashion was never just a hobby. It was a weapon. She told the magazine that she always tried to make a statement on court to be "bold and unique." Whether it was the denim skirts, the "catsuit" that got banned at the French Open, or the tutus, she used the Sports Illustrated platform to prove that being an elite athlete didn't mean you had to check your personality at the locker room door.
Why These Covers Matter in 2026
If you look back at the early days—her first cover in 1999 after winning the US Open at age 17—the tone was different. The media was still trying to figure her out. They focused on her father, Richard, or the "novelty" of two sisters from Compton taking over a country-club sport.
By the time she did her final SI features, the narrative had flipped. She wasn't just a tennis player; she was a mogul, a mother, and a symbol of longevity.
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Real Talk: The Nuance of Representation
We have to acknowledge the limitations here. While these covers broke barriers, they also faced legitimate criticism from academic circles. Nicole LaVoi and other sports sociologists have pointed out that even when Serena was being honored for her skill, the imagery often defaulted to "sexualized" poses. It’s a tightrope. On one hand, you’re celebrating a Black woman's beauty in a space that historically ignored it. On the other, you’re potentially falling into the trap of valuing women for their appearance over their stats.
Serena herself seemed to move past caring about the "mean things" people said. By the 2019 Fashionable 50 cover, she was blunt: "I don't care what people say. I'm like just so past it."
Practical Takeaways from the Serena Era
If you’re looking at the history of Serena Williams on Sports Illustrated to understand how to navigate your own branding or just to appreciate sports history, here’s the bottom line:
- Define yourself before they do. Serena used these covers to transition from "tennis star" to "cultural icon." She leaned into her interest in fashion and business early on.
- Own the controversy. The 2015 Sportsperson cover could have been a PR nightmare. Instead, it became one of the most iconic images in the magazine's history because she owned the "Queen" persona.
- Longevity is the best argument. You can argue with a photo, but you can't argue with 23 Slams. Her repeated appearances over two decades proved she wasn't a flash in the pan; she was the standard.
For anyone researching her impact, start by looking at the 2015 "Sportsperson of the Year" editorial by S.L. Price. It’s widely considered one of the best pieces of long-form sports journalism ever written about her, capturing the "fierce competitor" who would rather analyze a loss than punch a wall. It’s the perfect starting point to see the human behind the icons.