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Former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber showed off her baby bump for the first time since announcing her pregnancy in August 2022. She is expecting her first child with her boyfriend Franco Bianco.
Kerber, who celebrated her birthday on Wednesday (January 18), took the opportunity to thank everyone for their wishes along with a photo of her caressing her baby bump.
She also stated that she will miss the cake at this year's Australian Open as Grand Slams often celebrate the players' birthdays with delectable cakes brought out to the court.
Though absent from this year's Australian Open, the 35-year-old says that at heart she is in Australia.
Fans took to social media to wish the tennis star on her birthday. Here are some of her fans' posts:
The Australian Open also wished Angelique Kerber a happy birthday along with a video of her winning moment against Serena Williams in 2016. Kerber defeated Williams to win the Melbourne Major in 2016, marking her first Grand Slam victory.
The WTA also wished Keber by commenting on her Instagram post with an emoji.
Kerber announced her pregnancy in August, after missing last year's US Open. In a social media post, she said:
"For the next months, I will take a break from traveling the globe as a tennis player but then again, I believe it’s for the best possible reason! I will miss all of you."
A quick look at the best moments from Angelique Kerber's tennis career
Angelique Kerber turned pro in 2003 and broke into the Top 5 in 2012. She reached a career-high ranking of World No. 1 in September 2016 and stayed there for 34 weeks.
She has won 14 singles titles, including three Grand Slams. Her first Major victory came at the 2016 Australian Open, where she defeated Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the final.
Her second Grand Slam win came at the US Open the same year, where she defeated Karolína Plíšková 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 in the title clash. Her third and final Slam victory again came on the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon in 2018, when she beat Serena Williams 6-3, 6-3 in the championship match.
The German, who got off to a shaky start last year after testing positive for COVID-19, won the Internationaux de Strasbourg, a WTA 250 tournament, in 2022 — which is the fourteenth and latest title of her career.
