Serena Williams announced her pregnancy via Snapchat on Wednesday, and her spokesperson has since confirmed that the tennis champion is expecting her first child in the autumn, meaning that she was indeed pregnant back in January when she won her 23rd Grand Slam in the Australian Open, maintaining her status as the second best female singles player in the world.
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Serena shared a photo of her baby bump
Her spokesperson also told New York Times that the 35-year-old will miss the 2017 season, but plans to return in 2018, explaining: "Serena said that I should make sure if anyone asks that that is clear." Fans were quick to discuss the star's pregnancy, with one tweeting: "Serena Williams was pregnant when she won her 23rd grand slam tournament at the Australian Open. And did not drop ONE SET. Let that sink in." Another added: "Can't wait for 53-year old Serena and her kid to win the 2034 Wimbledon doubles title (mixed doubles if it's a boy)."
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Serena is expecting her first child with fiance, Alexis
Serena shared the exciting news after sharing a selfie in a yellow swimsuit which showed off her baby bump, simply captioning the post: "20 weeks." The seven-time Wimbledon winner is expecting her first child with her fiancé Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit. The pair announced their engagement back in December, with Serena writing: "I came home/ A little late/ Someone had a bag packed for me/ And a carriage awaited. Destination: Rome/ To escort me to my very own 'charming'/ Back to where our stars first collided. And now it was full circle/ At the same table we first met by chance/ This time he made it not by chance/ But by choice/ Down on one knee/ He said 4 words/ And I said yes." Alexis responded to the post, writing: "And you made me the happiest man on the planet."