serena williams
Serena Williams of the U.S. gestures as she holds her trophy after winning her Women's singles final match against Venus Williams of the U.S. Reuters/Edgar Su

Tennis star Serena Williams is pregnant! News of her pregnancy first broke out on social media app Snapchat where Williams posted a photo of herself showing off her modest baby bump with the caption, “20 weeks.” The picture in question, however, was subsequently removed shortly after being posted, which prompted many speculations on the possibility that the ‘announcement’ might have been accidental.

The guesswork had been put to rest when Williams’ spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, confirmed the pregnancy. “I’m happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this fall,” Novak told the Guardian.

Williams, 35, previously announced in December that she was engaged to Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit. With a little Serena Williams or Alexis Ohanian on the way, the couple is now on the way to building their life together as a family.

Williams, a 23-time major champion, was last seen participating in the Australian Open in January which she ultimately won. The match was a notable one as Williams went up against her older sister, Venus. According to the timeline as per ESPN, Williams was already pregnant at the time of her victory. The star player has yet to play in another game after the Australian Open though, having pulled out of her other two scheduled events (Indian Wells and Miami) due to a left knee injury.

Her inactivity has allowed Germany’s Angelique Kerber to take the No. 1 ranking. Despite not having participated in another tournament for nearly four months, Williams is still expected to rise in the ranks and land the No. 1 title yet again. This may be due to the points she bagged in last year’s Porsche Grand Prix.

Williams would not be the first tennis player to return to the court following a pregnancy. Previously, Kim Clijsters went into a brief retirement to focus on her family. She later returned after the birth of her daughter and subsequently won at the Flushing Meadows, which was only the third tournament into her comeback. Similarly, two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka left the court last year and gave birth to a son, Leo.

With the Serena Williams pregnancy news on the rise, the tennis champ is set to return to the court in 2018. Her due date is anticipated to be in early September.

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