Serena Williams confirms plans to return to tennis after giving birth
Serena Williams has confirmed her plans to return to tennis after giving birth following the announcement of her first pregnancy.
The 35-year-old has not played a match since winning her 23rd Grand Slam at the Australian Open at the end of January.
She was already almost two months pregnant during that historic victory over her sister Venus Williams, which saw her become the most decorated tennis player of the Open Era and her first child is due later this year.
Serena Williams' Grand Slam titles
Australian Open (7): 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017
French Open (3): 2002, 2013, 2015
Wimbledon (7): 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016
US Open (6): 1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014
Williams is also within touching distance of Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 majors, with many expecting her to topple the Australian’s record.
But while the American will realistically miss the next four Grand Slams, she is planning on returning to the WTA Tour in 2018, her spokeswoman Kelly Bush Novak confirmed.
After recently announcing her engagement to Alexis Ohanian, Reddit’s co-founder, Williams announced the news of her ’20 weeks’ pregnancy on Snapchat, posting a photograph of her and her baby bump in a yellow swimsuit.
Williams would not be the first player to leave the game for pregnancy and enjoy roaring success upon her return, with Belgian star Kim Clijsters winning the US Open in 2009 and 2010 and the Australian Open in 2011 following the birth of her daughter in 2008.
Court, the woman she’s chasing in terms of Grand Slam titles, also won her final three titles in 1973 after giving birth to her son Danny a year earlier.
It remains to be seen if both Williams and Azarenka can add to their haul of Slams upon their return, but if the former could it would be yet another incredible feat in her stunning career.
No player has returned from pregnancy at Williams’ age, with Clijsters retiring at 29 in 2013 and Court competing in her final Slam at 33, but then she is a very special athlete.
