Serena Williams Pregnancy Changes Tennis Landscape
Australian tennis fans wondering why Serena Williams hasn’t played a tournament since her epic Australian Open win in January finally have an answer: she’s five months pregnant.
Confirmation came courtesy of a Snapchat post showing off her bulging tum, captioned “20 weeks”. Which means that Serena was technically already carrying the tiny doubles partner when she beat sis Venus in the singles final in Melbourne.
Her absence from competition ever since hadn’t drawn undue attention; fans agreed that her record 23rd Grand Slams singles titles had earned the 35-year-old a spell resting on her laurels, even if the break did allow Angelique Kerber to regain the Number One spot on the WTA ladder.
Williams has been engaged to Reddit co-founder and tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian since December 2016. They began dating after meeting in Rome 15 months earlier.
Contenders at the Top of the Ladder
Williams is expected to be out of the WTA Tour for at least a year, which will allow everyone below No. 2 on the WTA Rankings a shot at moving up a place. It also means the remaining 2017 Grand Slams, and several other tournaments, are wide open.
Aussie tennis punters will be watching Kerber closely. The German had already regained the top ranking before Williams’ announcement, coming back strongly after a faltering start to the year. She will remain a formidable opponent every time she plays.
Britain’s Joanna Konta, who went from World No. 151 to the Top 10 within two years, is also having a phenomenal year. She’s currently at No. 7, but her star continues to rise, and she could be challenging for the top spot soon.
Karolina Pliskova could prove to be Kerber’s biggest threat. She’s at a career-best No. 3 on the ladder, and already has two titles under her belt this year to go with her runner-up at the 2016 US Open. The Czech has also shown that she has the big-match temperament she’ll need to make it to No. 1 on several occasions.
And don’t rule out Anna Sharapova, back from her doping suspension. She’s ahead in her contests with Kerber 4-3, and with Pliskova 1-0; in fact, the only player to beat her repeatedly in Grand Slams has been Serena Williams. So she is definitely in with a shot at the top of the ladder this year.
More About Jennie Martin
After completing her degree, Jennie Martin began her journalism career by working as an intern on the entertainment pages. However, her passion for sport was quickly noticed, and she began covering local events.
She now puts her considerable expertise and more than a decades worth of experience to good use, keeping readers up to date on Australian and international sports betting news.
From the latest sporting results to the thrills and spills of the online betting industry, Jennie is the australiansportsbetting.net expert in the field.
You May Also Like:
No Indian Wells For Novak Djokovic
It has now been confirmed that despite tennis world No. 2 Novak Djokovic having remained placed on the list of competitors for Indian Wells, he will not be permitted to ….
McEnroe Questions Raducanu Decision
John McEnroe has become just the latest of many to question Brit Emma Raducanu’s decision to change coaches following her fairy-tale US Open victory. Raducanu split with youth coach Andrew ….
Djokovic Lead Shareholder In Biotech Company
It has now emerged that the recently deported Novak Djokovic is the controlling shareholder (80%) in a company aiming to develop a treatment that does not involve vaccination. The Serb ….
French Open Likely Off The Cards For Novak
After a recent change to French health and safety rules, Novak Djokovic risks not being permitted into the country in May to defend his French Open title at Roland Garros. ….
More Confusion As Djokovic Blames Agent
The latest twist in the drama surrounding Novak Djokovic is a combination of blame-shifting and more confusion. The tennis world No. 1 is now blaming his agent for a so-called ….