Former World No. 1 Serena Williams announced on social media today that she is expecting her first child with fiance Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Reddit. In an image posted to the tennis icon’s Snapchat, the athlete, posing in a yellow swimsuit, captioned the picture “20 weeks.”
This means that Williams was already two months into her pregnancy when she won the 2017 Australian Open, her 23rd Grand Slam title, without dropping a single set.
Williams and Ohanian, who had been dating for two years after meeting in Rome, got engaged last year when Ohanian proposed in Rome, Italy.
Williams has not played competitively since her Australian Open final, in which she beat sister Venus in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4; she pulled out of the Indian Wells – Miami combine citing a knee injury at the time.
The 35-year-old’s future child will have company among the children of tennis stars, with Victoria Azarenka giving birth to son Leo late last year.
Motherhood has not derailed the careers of many of tennis’ best stars, with former World No 1 Kim Clijsters becoming one of three mothers to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era; incidentally, Azarenka will return to competitive tennis during the 2017 hard court season.
Doubles ace Casey Dellacqua, who is still a tour de force on the circuit, is also a mother, while Australian tennis icons Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Margaret Court both won Grand Slams after having children; Court made the finals of Wimbledon whilst pregnant with her son, but lost eventually to Cawley.
It is now Court’s record that Williams will seek to break – the Australian former player holds the all-time record for 24 Grand Slam titles, although this record is not an Open Era one, with Williams the holder of that mantle.
Given her form and immense return to fitness in the past year, it is unlikely that Williams will announce a complete retirement, but may like Azarenka and Clijsters before her, take a short break from the sport instead.
Williams is currently at World No. 2 and poised to return to #1, despite not having played a match since the Australian Open.
Statements from the couple are expected shortly.
UPDATE: Williams’ representative has confirmed the pregnancy. She also revealed that while the American ace will not play tennis for the remainder of the 2017 season, she aims for a 2018 return.
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