Australia's Hewitt earned the accolade for the second year running, while American Williams was honoured for the first time.
The Cincinnati Open claimed two more high-profile victims on Thursday with Grand Slam champions Li Na and Petra Kvitova crashing out, while Russian pair Maria Sharapova and Vera Zvonareva crunched their opponents en route to the quarter-finals.
Serena Williams offers support to Naomi Osaka.
The imposter who did turn up got dragged into a two hour 11 minute tussle in which she failed to convert 11 of the 12 break points that fell her way.
Serena Williams again showed the gaping chasm between her and the rest of the field when she retained her Wimbledon singles crown with a crushing 6-3, 6-2 win over Russia's Vera Zvonareva on Saturday.
The ruthless American needed less than an hour to defeat Sharapova 6-1, 6-1 and notch her 19th consecutive win over the Russian in what some charitably dub a "rivalry."
Images from Day 8 of the 2024 French Open at Roland Garros on Sunday.
World number one Serena Williams was battered into a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 submission by a fired-up Nadia Petrova in the third round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
The bull-like Alcaraz, playing only his second Grand Slam final compared to Djokovic's record 35, put on a show
A despondent Serena Williams grudgingly faced reporters after her 7-6 6-1 defeat to top seed Justine Henin in Tuesday's quarter-finals of the U.S. Open, tears staining her cheeks after the bitter result.
A summary of sports events and sportspersons, who made news on Tuesday.
Serena Williams, Simone Biles and Ted Ligety were among the finalists for United States Olympic Committee (USOC) male and female athletes of year honours announced on Thursday.
Novak Djokovic took a first unsteady step toward completing the calendar-year Grand Slam on Tuesday as the Serb laboured into the second round of the US Open with a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-1 win over dashing Danish teenager Holger Rune.
Top ranked Serena Williams made a successful return to hard courts with a 6-3, 6-2 thrashing of former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in the second round of the Rogers Cup on Wednesday.
Spanish fourth seed Garbine Muguruza claimed her maiden Grand Slam title when she beat World No 1 and defending champion Serena Williams 7-5, 6-4 in the French Open final on Saturday.
The world number two said her near-misses initially left her deflated and sick of tennis, but she was now over the pain.
World No 1 Serena Williams has tormented Maria Sharapova for over a decade
Coco Gauff became the first American to win a US Open singles title since Sloane Stephens in 2017.
Djokovic will next face Sinner in what will be his 46th Grand Slam semi-final, equalling the record of eight-time champion Roger Federer.
Images from Day 3 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday
Tournament favourite Novak Djokovic beat Finnish veteran Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 on Tuesday, kicking off his quest for a first ever Paris trophy to add to his eight other Grand Slams.
Johanna Konta earned the chance to fulfill a childhood dream when she advanced to an Australian Open quarter-final contest against Serena Williams by dismantling Ekaterina Makarova 6-1, 6-4 on Monday.
Serena Williams is leaving tennis but her love affair with the sport will continue assured the 23-times Grand Slam winner on Monday, after reaching the second round of the US Open which could be her competitive swan song.
From soccer genius Lionel Messi to sprint king Usain Bolt, a shimmering array of the world's greatest sports stars are in the race for top honours at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards -- also called the 'Oscars of Sport' -- to be presented.
Simona Halep is emerging as one of the few players on Tour.
Images from Day 7 of the 2019 French Open in Paris on Saturday.
Images from the US Open women's singles final at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Saturday.
Rafael Nadal easily avoided the embarrassment of a back-to-back first round exits at the Australian Open on Tuesday, ramping up his serve and rattling off 39 winners to beat Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena.
Serena Williams said she did not know her coach was giving her instructions and had "never cheated in her life" after her hopes of winning a 24th Grand Slam title ended in extraordinary scenes at the US Open on Saturday.
Federer received a standing ovation from the 15,000 capacity crowd that lasted several minutes.
Under the lights on the stadium court, Williams smashed 39 winners to defeat Azarenka 7-5, 6-3 in a rematch of the 2016 final, which the Belarusian won.
The World No 1 tennis star has revealed that she desperately wants to settle down in life and have a family of her own.
Serena Williams will rest for a week after withdrawing from the Swedish Open due to an elbow problem but is confident the injury will not derail her preparations for the US Open.
A dominant Rafael Nadal arrived at one career milestone on Thursday but the speed of the Spaniard's rampage through the early rounds of the French Open suggests his eyes are fixed firmly on another more significant one.
World No 1 Serena Williams showed plenty of rust in her first competitive outing of the year ahead of the Australian Open, but battled through to defeat Andrea Petkovic in straight sets at the Brisbane International on Tuesday.
Aryna Sabalenka beat China's Zheng Qinwen 6-3 6-2 to retain the Australian Open women's singles title on Saturday.
The professional tennis circuit, which requires players to jet around the world, was forced into shutdown in early March as countries went into lockdown and closed their borders to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic have won the last 11 Grand Slams between them and an incredible 54 since 2003.
Former world number one Serena Williams looked sharp in her return to the hardcourts after a week-long break, soundly defeating Daria Gavrilova 6-1, 6-2 on Monday to advance to the second round of the Cincinnati Masters.
Marc Lopez and Feliciano Lopez made Saturday in Paris a day to remember for Spain as they beat American twins Bob and Mike Bryan, the most successful doubles pairing in Grand Slam history, to win the French Open crown.
