The media has voted Serena Williams as the 2012 WTA Player Of The Year, her fourth time receiving the honor. Interestingly enough, Williams finished the season ranked third, the sixth time the award has been won by someone not ranked in the Top 2.

Who else is on that list, what were their feats that season, and who was ranked above them?

1977
Player Of Year: No.4 Virginia Wade
Feats: won three titles, including Wimbledon
No.1 Chris Evert
No.2 Billie Jean King
No.3 Martina Navratilova

2000
Player Of Year: No.3 Venus Williams
Feats: won six titles, including Wimbledon, US Open and Olympics
No.1 Martina Hingis
No.2 Lindsay Davenport

2004
Player Of Year: No.4 Maria Sharapova
Feats: won five titles, including Wimbledon
No.1 Lindsay Davenport
No.2 Amélie Mauresmo
No.3 Anastasia Myskina

2006
Player Of Year: No.3 Amélie Mauresmo
Feats: won four titles, including Australian Open and Wimbledon
No.1 Justine Henin
No.2 Maria Sharapova

2010
Player Of Year: No.3 Kim Clijsters
Feats: won five titles, including US Open
No.1 Caroline Wozniacki
No.2 Vera Zvonareva

2012
Player Of Year: No.3 Serena Williams
Feats: won seven titles, including Wimbledon, Olympics and US Open
No.1 Victoria Azarenka
No.2 Maria Sharapova

Here are the rest of the Players Of The Year who did not finish the season No.1:
1980: No.2 Tracy Austin
1999: No.2 Lindsay Davenport
2001: No.2 Jennifer Capriati
2005: No.2 Kim Clijsters
2008: No.2 Serena Williams
2011: No.2 Petra Kvitova