It was once again Serena Williams’s decade, but the last year of the 2010s was not her year, though she made her presence and power felt by reaching two Grand Slam finals.

In 2019, the biggest moments and most prestigious trophies belonged to players much younger than Williams, who turned 38 in September.

The emergence of charismatic teenage talents like Bianca Andreescu and Coco Gauff was reassuring for the future of the sport, whose relevance to younger, entertainment-saturated audiences remains a question mark. But it was bittersweet for all those who would like to see Williams get the emotional and statistical payoff she has been striving for since she returned to work after becoming a mother.

Instead, the 2019 season belonged to the likes of Naomi Osaka, 22, who started strong, winning the Australian Open in January and rose to No. 1 before losing her mojo and finally rebounding to win two titles in October.