Love game: Serena Williams announces she is pregnant and expecting first child in autumn
Williams is pregnant – and, based on the timeline she offered, already was when she won the Australian Open in January
It’s another love game for Serena Williams: She is pregnant – and, based on the timeline she offered, she already was when she won the Australian Open.
A spokeswoman for Williams, Kelly Bush Novak, said in a statement on Wednesday: “I’m happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this Fall.”
The 35-year-old Williams won her 23rd grand slam singles title at the Australian Open in January – a little less than 12 weeks ago. She has not competed since, citing a knee injury when withdrawing from tournaments at Indian Wells, California, and Key Biscayne, Florida.
She announced in late December that she was engaged to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
There is recent precedent for tennis players to return to action after becoming a mother. Kim Clijsters retired briefly to start a family, then came back to action and won grand slam titles. Another former No 1 and major champion, Victoria Azarenka, has announced she’ll be getting back on tour soon after having a baby.
Williams’ 23 grand slam singles titles are a record for the Open era, which began in 1968 – she broke a tie with Steffi Graf in Australia. Only one woman has won more: Margaret Smith Court, who claimed part of her 24 during the amateur era.