The 37-year-old, called "The Champion" by the magazine, features in one of four covers of the December issue wearing a black long-sleeve turtleneck leotard.
"No matter how you cut it, Serena Williams had a remarkable year," the magazine said of its choice to include the American alongside its Men of the Year, actors Michael B Jordan, Henry Golding and Jonah Hill.
In February, Williams told CNN she almost died giving birth to her daughter last year, yet within months she was back training and returned to the sport earlier this year, reaching both the Wimbledon and US Open finals.
Chasing a record-equaling 24th major, Williams lost in both finals, falling to a straight-sets defeat to Anqelique Kerber at Wimbledon and a controversial loss to Naomi Osaka at Flushing Meadows, where she was docked a game after calling the umpire a "thief."
GQ's cover has sparked controversy on Twitter, however. Many users seemed unaware that the typography was handwritten by designer Virgil Abloh, who uses quotation marks in his work. Abloh collaborated with Williams and Nike for the player's US Open outfit which featured "Serena" in quotations on her trainers and "Logo" on her tutu dress.
GQ has not immediately responded to CNN, but in a response to a Twitter thread GQ employee Mick Rouse tweeted: "Because it was handwritten by Virgil Abloh of Off-White, who has styled everything in quotation marks as of late (see Serena's US Open apparel that he designed)."
Last year, in an open letter on reddit, Williams wrote about being called a man because of her muscular physique, writing: "I've been called man because I appeared outwardly strong ... It has been said I don't belong in women's sports -- that I belong in men's -- because I look stronger than many other women do. (No, I just work hard and I was born with this baddass body and proud of it.)"
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