Michael Smith and Jemele Hill agree that Serena Williams has nothing left to prove in tennis but can see her returning to the game someday. (0:55)

It's another love game for Serena Williams: She is pregnant, and based on the timeline she offered, she already was when she won the Australian Open.

A spokeswoman for Williams, Kelly Bush Novak, wrote in an email to ESPN and other media outlets Wednesday: "I'm happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this fall."

The 23-time major champion will not play again in 2017 due to her pregnancy and plans to return in 2018.

Williams posted a photo of herself standing sideways with the caption "20 weeks" on Snapchat earlier Wednesday then deleted it.

serenawilliams/Snapchat

Williams, 35, did not comment beyond the photo and two-word caption.

She announced in late December that she was engaged to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

Williams hasn't played since winning the Australian Open in January -- a little less than 12 weeks ago. She pulled out of her next two scheduled events at Indian Wells and Miami, citing a left knee injury. Her only other tournament this year was in Auckland, New Zealand, where she lost in the round of 16.

Tennis' next major tournament is the French Open, which starts May 28. Wimbledon begins in early July, and the US Open is in late August. If Williams is 20 weeks pregnant, she would be due in early September.

"We're excited for Serena," WTA CEO Steve Simon said in a statement. "This is wonderful news and we wish her the very best. We'll look forward to seeing her when she's back competing again."

There is recent precedent for tennis players to return to action after becoming mothers. Kim Clijsters retired briefly to start a family then came back to tennis and won three Grand Slam titles. Victoria Azarenka, a former No. 1 and major champion, has announced she will be getting back on tour after having a baby last year.

Williams' 23 Grand Slam singles titles are a record for the Open era, which began in 1968. She broke a tie with Steffi Graf after winning the Australian Open. Only one woman has won more: Margaret Smith Court, who claimed some of her 24 titles during the amateur era.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.</s>NEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - Tennis superstar Serena Williams on Wednesday appeared to suggest she is pregnant, posting a photo of herself in a bathing suit on the social media site Snapchat with the caption "20 weeks."

The 35-year-old, who will return to the No. 1 ranking in the world next week, later deleted the photo. A representative for Williams declined to comment on whether the post was a confirmation that she is pregnant.

If Williams is indeed 20 weeks into her term, that would mean she was approximately two months pregnant when she captured her record 23rd Grand Slam tournament title at the Australian Open in January.

Her victory over older sister Venus Williams broke a tie with Steffi Graf for the most Grand Slam singles championships in the sport's modern era. Serena Williams has not played since, citing a knee injury.

Fans reacted with a mixture of awe and glee at the news.

"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," wrote Twitter user @noelleharmony on the social media site.

"Serena Williams' fetus is already ranked 200th in the world," @BigHeadSports tweeted.

Williams, the highest-paid female athlete in the world, announced her engagement to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian last December.

The next Grand Slam tournament this year is the French Open, which starts in May. If Williams is 20 weeks pregnant and gives birth after a full term, she would have her child in early September, during the fourth Grand Slam, the U.S. Open in New York.

Other women have left the tour to have children and returned at a high level, though none has done so at Williams' age. The Belgian player Kim Clijsters retired and had a child before coming back at age 26 and winning three Grand Slam titles as a mother.

Australians Evonne Goolagong and Margaret Court also won Grand Slam titles after having children.

Former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 27, missed most of the 2016 season to have a baby and is expected to return to the tour this summer.

Williams is the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam singles title and still dominates the tour at an age when most players have retired.

Williams, who has played professionally for two decades, first gained the No. 1 ranking in 2002 and has held that spot for more than six years in total during her career.

Sister Venus, 36, has won seven Grand Slam singles titles. (Additionl reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Pritha Sarkar and Grant McCool)</s>Tennis Champion Serena Williams has announced she will miss the remainder of the tennis season because she is expecting her first child later this year.

A spokeswoman for Williams issued a statement to the media saying Serena is pregnant.

The 35-year-old Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open in January - a little less than 12 weeks ago.

She has not competed since, citing a knee injury when withdrawing from tournaments at Indian Wells, California, and Key Biscayne, Florida.

Williams announced her engagement to Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of social media outlet Reddit, last December.</s>She won a grand slam while pregnant, so it is perhaps no surprise that Serena Williams aims to return to tennis next year and become a grand slam-winning mom.

The tennis great announced Wednesday that she and fiancé Alexis Ohanian are expecting their first child “this fall.”

 Williams, 35, posted a side profile shot of herself in a yellow swimsuit on Snapchat with a caption that read “20 weeks” before deleting it.

A spokesperson for the tennis player later confirmed the American was pregnant.

If Williams’ 20-weeks post was accurate, it would suggest she was about eight weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open in January.

While Williams will not play again in 2017, meaning she will miss the year’s remaining three grand slams — the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open — her publicist did say she would return to the tour in 2018.

Williams has not played since winning her 23rd grand slam in Melbourne, withdrawing from the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, and the Miami Open citing a knee injury.

Williams, who is second only to Margaret Court on the list of women’s all-time grand slam singles titles, has received congratulatory messages from around the world.

Former world No.1 Andy Roddick tweeted: “There’s gonna be a baby GOAT… We are so happy and we know @serenawilliams will be a great mother.”

Christ Evert, 18-time grand slam winner, said it was a “very special year ahead” for Williams.

Steve Simon, Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) chief executive, said: “We’re excited for Serena. This is wonderful news and we wish her the very best. We’ll look forward to seeing her when she’s back competing again.”

Williams’ latest news comes after she surprised fans in December by announcing her engagement to Ohanian, Reddit’s co-founder. The pair had kept their romance out of the spotlight.

She had alerted the world of her impending nuptials on Reddit, with tech entrepreneur Ohanian posting on his Facebook page, linking to her Reddit post and adding: “She said yes.”

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Also, Like us on facebook</s>It's another love game for Serena Williams: She is pregnant — and, based on the timeline she offered, she already was when she won the Australian Open.

A spokeswoman for Williams, Kelly Bush Novak, wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Wednesday: "I'm happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this Fall."

Earlier in the day, Williams posted a photo of herself on Snapchat with the caption "20 weeks," sparking all sorts of speculation on social media about whether she was, indeed, with child.

The 35-year-old Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open in January — a little less than 12 weeks ago. She has not competed since, citing a knee injury when withdrawing from tournaments at Indian Wells, Calif., and Key Biscayne, Fla.

She announced in late December that she was engaged to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

Williams would appear to be out for the rest of this tennis season, a blow to a sport in which she is an unqualified star — and, of course, something that makes major titles easier to come by for other competitors. The next major tournament is the French Open, which starts on May 28. Wimbledon begins in early July, and the U.S. Open in late August.

There is recent precedent for tennis players to return to action after becoming a mother. Kim Clijsters retired briefly to start a family, then came back to action and won Grand Slam titles. Another former No. 1 and major champion, Victoria Azarenka, has announced she'll be getting back on tour soon after having a baby.

Williams' 23 Grand Slam singles titles are a record for the Open era, which began in 1968 — she broke a tie with Steffi Graf in Australia. Only one woman has won more: Margaret Smith Court, who claimed part of her 24 during the amateur era.</s>Tennis superstar Serena Williams announced today that she is five months pregnant in a photo of herself in a swimsuit showing off her baby bump.

“20 weeks,” she captioned the image on Snapchat Wednesday after posting a series of photos from a seemingly tropical getaway.

The implication of the good news is that the star was a few weeks pregnant when she beat her sister Venus to win the Australian Open back in January. Fans were quick to praise the athlete for her supserstar abilties and were minid-blown to learn she competed while a few weeks pregnant.

“Serena Williams won the Australian Open while she was pregnant. That woman is amazing,” one Twitter user wrote.

Another added, “Serena Williams was pregnant when she won the Australia Open in Jan. but I cant even get out of bed when I’m on my period. Sis is superwoman.”

US Open organizers wished the star a big congratulations shortly after she revealed the news with a celebratory tweet.

“Serena Williams will have a new pride & joy to hug and call her own soon! Congratulations on the exciting baby announcement!” the post read.

Williams, 35, is engaged to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, 33. The US Open champion documented her whirlwind engagement on Reddit back in December with a poem.

Ohanian popped the question during an impromptu trip to Italy. He proposed at a restaurant in Rome at the same table where the duo first met on a lunch outing in 2015.

“This time he made it not by chance /But by choice / Down on one knee / He said 4 words And /isaidyes,” she wrote at the time, using the classic Reddit terms.

Williams and the techie began dating in October 2015 and didn’t discuss their relationship publicly until the engagement news bombshell. On Monday, Williams shared an adorable snap of her fiancé holding her up in his arms on a beach.</s>(UPDATED) Serena leaks the news by posting a photo that appears to show her with a baby bump with the caption '20 weeks.'

LOS ANGELES, USA (UPDATED) – Tennis great Serena Williams is expecting her first child, revealing the news on Wednesday, April 19, with a teasing Snapchat post captioned "20 weeks".

Her spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, followed up with a statement emailed to Agence France-Presse confirming the pregnancy.

"I'm happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this Fall," she said.

Williams' Snapchat post, quickly highlighted in US media, showed the 35-year-old American in a yellow swimsuit with a baby bump.

The timing means Williams was already expecting when she won her record-setting 23rd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January – where she beat her elder sister Venus in the final.

"The GOAT herself @serenawilliams took to Snapchat to announce she's 20 weeks pregnant! Congratulations Serena!" the US Tennis Association, organizers of the US Open, tweeted, using the acronym for "Greatest Of All Time".

"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," Twitter user @noelleharmony posted.

Williams cited a knee injury in pulling out of tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami in March. Her inactivity saw her drop to second in the world rankings. But she is set to regain the top spot from Germany's Angelique Kerber on Monday, April 24, when the latest standings are published.

In December, Williams announced her engagement to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, first sharing that news on the Reddit social media site.

While pregnancy may spell the end of Williams' season, it doesn't mean she won't be back on court.

Belgium's Kim Clijsters came out of retirement at the age of 26 after having a child and won 3 Grand Slam titles.

Australians Evonne Goolagong and Margaret Court also won Grand Slam titles after having children.

Former world number one Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 27, won the Indian Wells and Miami titles in March of last year before missing the rest of the season after announcing she was expecting a baby in December.

Since the birth of son Leo, Azarenka has returned to training and plans to return to competition at the WTA tournament in Stanford, California, in July. – Rappler.com</s>Tennis superstar Serena Williams on Wednesday appeared to reveal she is pregnant, posting a photo of herself in a bathing suit on Snapchat with the caption “20 weeks.”

The 35-year-old, who will return to the No. 1 ranking in the world next week, later deleted the photo. Neither Williams nor her management team were immediately available for comment.

If Williams is indeed 20 weeks into her term, that would mean she was approximately two months pregnant when she captured her record 23rd Grand Slam tournament title at the Australian Open in January.

Her victory over older sister Venus Williams broke a tie with Steffi Graf for the most Grand Slam singles championships in the sport’s modern era. Serena Williams has not played since, citing a knee injury.

Fans reacted with a mixture of awe and glee at the news.

“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,” wrote Twitter user @noelleharmony on the social media site.

Williams, the highest-paid female athlete in the world, , announced her engagement to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian last December.

Other women have left the tour to have children and returned at a high level, though none has done so at Williams’ age. The Belgian player Kim Clijsters retired and had a child before coming back at age 26 and winning three Grand Slam titles as a mother.

Australians Evonne Goolagong and Margaret Court also won Grand Slam titles after having children.

Former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 27, missed most of the 2016 season to have a baby and is expected to return to the tour this summer.

Williams, who has played professionally for two decades, first gained the No. 1 ranking in 2002 and has held that spot for more than six years in total during her career. At an age when most tennis professionals have already retired, Williams still dominates the women’s tour.</s>LOS ANGELES (AFP, Reuters) - Tennis superstar Serena Williams is pregnant and expecting to deliver her first baby this fall, her spokeswoman said on Wednesday (April 19).

The confirmation, by publicist Kelly Bush Novak, came in a statement hours after the 35-year-old athlete posted a photo of herself in a yellow one-piece bathing suit on the social media site Snapchat with the caption "20 weeks".

Williams, who will return to the No. 1 ranking in the world next week, deleted the photo shortly after it appeared, and she waited more than six hours to make any public comment, stoking furious speculation about whether she was really expecting.

"I'm happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this fall," Los Angeles-based Bush Novak said.

Novak told Reuters that Williams "definitely" would not be able to play again this year but "looks forward to returning in 2018".

If Williams is indeed 20 weeks into her term, that would mean she was approximately two months pregnant when she captured her record 23rd Grand Slam tournament title at the Australian Open in January.

"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," Twitter user @noelleharmony posted.

Her victory over older sister Venus Williams broke a tie with Steffi Graf for the most Grand Slam singles championships in the sport's modern era. Serena Williams has not played since, citing a knee injury.

In December, Williams announced her engagement to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, first sharing that news on the Reddit social media site.</s>Serena Williams just shut down anyone who considers women “the weaker sex.”

A spokesperson for the tennis player has confirmed that she and fiancé Alexis Ohanian are expecting their first child. “I’m happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this fall,” Williams’ spokesperson told CNN in a statement.

The news broke Wednesday morning after Williams offered up a side profile shot of herself in a yellow swimsuit with a caption that read “20 weeks” in a Snapchat posting that quickly disappeared.

But not before a screen shot was taken and sent around the Web.

That means Williams was pregnant when she won the Australian Open in January, further adding to her rep as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

After pulling the Snapchat post there was speculation as to whether Williams was just playing with fans even as good wishes flowed in from fellow celebs and US Open Tennis.

The world renowned athlete has clearly taken some lessons in keeping secrets from her BFF Beyonce. In February, the superstar singer posted a photo with her baby bump on Instagram to announce the news.

Fans were surprised to learn in December that Williams was engaged to Ohanian, Reddit’s co-founder, since they had kept their romance out of the spotlight.

Williams announced their impending nuptials on Reddit, and Ohanian doubled down on his Facebook page, linking to her Reddit post and adding, “She said yes.”

News of a little one immediately sent Twitter into a tizzy about Williams, given that good friend Beyonce is pregnant with twins.

With 23 Grand Slam wins, Williams holds the record for the most by a player in the Open Era.

In March, she withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, and the Miami Open, citing a knee injury.
A spokeswoman for tennis star Serena Williams confirms rumors that Williams is pregnant. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, who was apparently pregnant when she won this year's Australian Open, is expected to give birth in September, and will not play again until 2018.