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Former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber gave birth to a baby girl last week and was congratulated by several tennis players.
Kerber announced her pregnancy when she announced that she would not participate in the US Open. The German gave birth to a baby girl, who she named Liana, on February 25.
She shared an image of herself, her partner and their daughter on Instagram, with the caption reading:
"Welcome to our family, Liana *25.02.2023. Having you with us is the most beautiful & overwhelming feeling we could have ever imagined.
A number of players congratulated Angelique Kerber on giving birth to her daughter. These included former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, who commented with a few heart emojis. Kerber's compatriot Sabine Lisicki sent her best wishes, stating:
"How great. All the best."
Ana Ivanovic, who is expecting a child herself, also sent her congratulations to Kerber and wrote that she was happy for her.
"Congratulations! So happy for you," the Serb commented.
Other players who commented on Kerber's picture included Agnieszka Radwanska, Urszula Radwanska, Carla Suarez Navarro, Rennae Stubbs and Dominic Cibulkova.
"When I come back, I want to come back 100 percent"- Angelique Kerber on her return
While speaking to the WTA a few months back, Kerber spoke about returning to tennis. The German said that while she wasn't sure of when she would return to action, she wanted to be at her very best when the time came.
"I don’t know what time or which tournament because I really want to take the time,” Kerber said. “And when I come back, I want to come back 100 percent, fit again and feel good. This is the plan.”
Angelique Kerber's last appearance on the WTA Tour came at last season's Wimbledon Championships where reached the third round with wins over Kristina Mladenovic and Magda Linette. Here, she lost 6-4, 7-5 to Elise Mertens.
The German won 13 out of 24 matches in 2022 with her best performance being winning the Internationaux de Strasbourg after beating Kaja Juvan in the final. Her prolonged absence from the WTA Tour has seen her drop out of the Top 100 of the rankings.
Kerber is currently ranked 111th in the world and will be eager to return to action as soon as she can.
