If Serena Williams can come close to what she did in tennis in 2013 (victories in the French and US Opens and the No. 1 world ranking), shouldn’t she be the leading candidate to be named Sports Illustrated’s Sportswoman of the Year in 2014? (Only two women have ever been the magazine's solo athlete of the year: Chris Evert in 1976 and track star Mary Decker in 1983.)

KATHY WILLENS/AP/FILE
Serena Williams returns a shot against Galina Voskoboeva during the second round of the 2013 US Open tennis tournament, in New York on Aug. 29.