She recently swiped her third AP Female Athlete of the Year award, and now Serena Williams has marked, whether she knows it or not, another globally recognized designation. An image of her serving against Maria Sharapova in the final of the 2013 Madrid WTA tournament is among 80 in The New York Times' Year in Pictures features.

The photo of Serena sending up her feared serve toss is one of nine images from the sports realm in the series, and one of just three involving athletes in action.

Here's that Madrid title match in its entirety, if you'd like to relive it, though it's not among the tighter battles of the year, nor one of the closer ones between these two in 2013:

What's your own photo of the year in tennis? Feel free to share a link to it in the comment thread below.

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