Serena Williams has insisted she doesn't know the sex of her baby. In a lengthy Instagram post, the pregnant tennis ace addressed sister Venus' comments when she referred to the unborn tot as "she" at the French Open on Wednesday. Serena, who is due to welcome her first child with fiancé and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in the autumn, told her followers: "I think the surprise of knowing what you are going to have on that very special day you give birth is prob the best surprise you can ever have!" [sic]
STORY: Venus Williams accidentally lets slip the gender of sister Serena's baby
Serena went on to explain her older sister's choice of wording, claiming that the whole family have referred to the baby as "she" because of their female-dominated household. She added: "So to clarify what Venus said, I am always joking with my sisters to see what favours I can get them to do for me next. If I want something from one of my sisters I say baby Venus, baby Lyn or Baby Isha needs it. I did not grow up with any brothers, only sisters and we all say 'she' more than 'he'. Unless I'm joking with my dad or Alexis and I'm trying to con something out of them too... Hey, I'm the youngest of 5 I've always tricked them, what can I say!"
Venus, 36, made the slip after she beat Kurumi Nara in the French Open on Wednesday. The tennis champion referred to the baby as "she", adding: "I want to be known as the favourite aunt." She continued: "We're like baby V, baby Lyn, baby Esher, we all want the baby to be named after us." The mother-to-be previously said she was going to wait until the birth to find out the gender. She told Vogue's contributing editor André Leon Talley: "We're waiting. It's a surprise. We call it 'baby'."
Tennis star Serena Williams is due to give birth in Autumn
STORY: Serena Williams pens heartfelt letter to her unborn baby
The sporting ace and her partner Alexis announced their engagement in December after nearly two years of dating. Serena shared her pregnancy news via Snapchat in April, after accidentally sharing a selfie in a yellow swimsuit which showed off her baby bump. In the caption, she simply wrote, "20 weeks". Her spokesperson has since told New York Times that the pregnant star will miss the 2017 season, but plans to return in 2018.