By Erik Gudris | October, Tuesday 28, 2014

It's not how you start but how you finish.

That's how World No. 1 Serena Williams summed up what, for her, has been perhaps one of her most turbulent seasons ever. And this is from someone who has been known for drama both on and off the court over the years.

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Still, even with question marks swirling around her entering Singapore, Williams as usual ended any debate about her status in women's tennis with an emphatic exclamation mark when she dismantled Simona Halep in a straight sets romp to win her fifth WTA Finals title.

In reality, most players can only dream of the kind of season Williams put together this year. Including the year-end title, she claimed her 18th Grand Slam at the US Open along with victories in Brisbane, Cincinnati, Miami, Rome and Stanford. Yet when asked about her goals for next year, Williams seemed to suggest that this year wasn't what she expected.

"Well, I never really talk about my goals. Thank God, because if I mentioned them last year, I would've been sorely disappointed with my year this year. I do have goals, but I always keep them to myself. No disappointments."

If, after looking back, Williams doesn't view 2014 as a disappointment, it certainly proved to be a season of the unexpected for the World No. 1. Along with the big wins came quite a few surprises, setbacks, and struggles that left many wondering how Williams would bounce back. A title run one week would see Williams the next week often lose in an opening round, often to a player only die-hard fans had heard of. Her early exits at the Grand Slams before New York brought up questions of her health, her mindset, and her confidence.

"Yeah, it's been a really difficult year for me," Williams said just after winning in Singapore. "I don't think I've had such an up and down year. I started out well with Brisbane; then didn't do well in Australia; then I did well again in Miami. It was really up and down. I ended the year well. I had a couple injuries in the beginning of Asia, but I'm glad I came and I was able to end well. So I think that was important. How you start is how you finish, right?"

In a season filled with young pros having breakout seasons and marquee players enjoying success again at the majors, Williams, despite her roller coaster year still was the constant focal point in women's tennis. Only in that she remained the player to beat, or avoid at all costs, if you had any hopes of winning a title in 2014.

It was perhaps fitting then that Williams found a way to navigate through last week's WTA Finals that was filled with players who figured prominent in the big story lines mentioned above. Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova both found ways to win another Grand Slam title. Ana Ivanovic, a former No. 1, enjoyed her best season in many years. The same for another former No. 1 in Caroline Wozniacki who started the year almost considered irrelevant in big events. And then the two newcomers in Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep, both looking ready to climb to the top and not wait for their turn a few years from now.

Yet despite a difficult season and all those formidable opponents, Williams found success at just the right times to help keep her on top right until the very end. Seeing Serena finish as year-end No. 1, even after an uncertain year, doesn't surprise most tennis fans. Yet, now at age 33, Williams is surprised herself she is still playing.

"I never, never thought I would be playing this long. Or if I were playing this long, I figured I would be playing doubles. Definitely not be No. 1 in the world," Williams said. "Gosh, I work so hard on the my craft and at what I do. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about being the best."

2014 may not have been the season Serena Williams planned on having. But in some ways, it may be one of her most impressive yet during her legendary career. Only because she proved that even when she looked vulnerable, unsure, and perhaps not always playing at the high standards she expects of herself, she got back out there and tried to find ways to be better. It wasn't that long ago many thought Williams would be done with her career by her mid-20's. In 2014, she proved even with all of her struggles that she just might be ready to keep on going for as long as her body will let her.

Williams definitely deserved to twirl in delight on winning her fifth WTA Finals. Often the greatest success tastes the sweetest when you undergo and persevere through adversity only to rise about it all and know that it was all worth it.

From start to finish.