Serena Williams Confirms Pregnancy

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL — Tennis great Serena Williams is pregnant and expecting her first child this fall, her spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday. Williams made the initial announcement earlier on Snapchat, but the post was later removed, leading to confusion over whether she was, or was not, pregnant.

"I'm happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this fall," spokeswoman Kelly Bush Novak told Patch.

Williams, who skipped the recent Miami Open tournament, had posted on social media that she was 20 weeks pregnant. That would mean that she was well into her second month of pregnancy on Jan. 28, when she won the Australian Open over her sister Venus, 6-4, 6-4.

Currently ranked second in the world, the 35-year-old Williams recently confirmed that 33-year-old Alexis Ohanian had asked her in December to marry him. The couple is said to have been dating since fall 2015. (Sign up for our free Daily Newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Aventura Patch.)

Williams sported an engagement ring on her trip in January to New Zealand, People reported. Ohanian co-founded Reddit, a social hub billed as the "front page of the internet."

The superstar announced news of the engagement through a poem and cartoon about how the proposal went down — on one knee, in Rome — posted on Reddit.

Rick Macci, who coached Williams and big sister Venus as children, told Patch that Serena was a "determined, feisty, a little pit bull" when he coached her from about age 9 to 14.

"Her and Venus were like two peas in a pod," said Macci, who operates the Rick Macci Tennis Academy in Boca Raton and who also coached Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick as children. He said that Williams' athleticism and powerful serve will allow her to come back from pregnancy if she chooses to do so.

"It all depends on her motivation. If she’s going to have family or get married things can change a little bit," Macci said. "She’s one of the most iconic athletes in the world ... At the end of the day, she can write her own ticket."

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Williams has won more major titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles than any other active player. She is third on the all-time list with 39 major singles titles.

Williams said on Instagram earlier this week that she was "fighting" to get up, to which her fans have added congratulatory posts.

Social media reacted immediately as news spread of Williams' Snapchat post:

Photo of Serena Williams by angela n via Flickr