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Serena Williams stuns with huge pregnancy announcement at Met Gala

The 23-time grand slam champion shocked the Met Gala with the announcement.

Serena Williams posing for a photo at the Met Gala and Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian.
Serena Williams has announced her and husband Alexis Ohanian are expecting their second child. (Gettu Images)

Serena Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian have stunned fans upon their arrival at the Met Gala after announcing they are expecting their second child. Williams left the tennis world in shock last year when she announced her retirement from the sport.

The 23-time grand slam champion played her final match at the US Open after a glittering career that spanned more than two decades. While there has been plenty of speculation that Williams could make a return to tennis, the 41-year-old is looking to expand her family with husband Ohanian.

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Williams took to social media upon her arrival at the Met Gala and announced she was pregnant. "Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the 3 of us to the Met Gala," she wrote, accompanied with a picture next to her husband Ohanian.

Williams and Ohanian will be welcoming their second child after daughter, Alexis Olympia. Tennis fans and celebrities rightfully went wild over the announcement.

Her good friend Caroline Wozniacki replied with love hearts. World No.1 tennis player Iga Swiatek also responded after her Madrid Open match with: "Congratulations."

The Australian Open official account wrote: 'What a reveal," while actor Michael B Jordan responded with excitement.

On the red carpet, Williams addressed the announcement and was in good spirits. "I'm good, I am feeling good now," Williams said in an interview. "I can breathe, I can stop. I am not hiding."

Serena Williams focusing on business and family

Earlier this year, Williams said she was looking forward to focusing on her venture capital firm 'Serena Ventures'. She has also expressed her desire to grow her family with husband Alexis Ohanian, with whom she has five-year-old daughter Olympia.

In an interview with E!, Williams openly admitted she has mixed feelings about her retirement. “It’s interesting. I think I feel torn because I’m still able to play at a very, very, very high level," she said. “With that being said, I always wanted to leave the game playing at a very high level.

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian pose for a photo at the Met Gala.
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian (pictured) are expecting their second child. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

“I also wanted to walk away when I’m healthy and have a quality of life. But I’m inch-by-inch leaning away, inch-by-inch embracing it.

“I was playing earlier when I first retired because it was hard to do it cold turkey. But lately, I haven’t played so much. And I miss it. I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness. I gotta get out there’. But it’s hard for me to get out there.

“I did play the other day, and it’s just like, ‘There’s no way I shouldn’t be playing professional tennis’. Like, there’s literally no excuse. But I mean, I guess there is an excuse, right? It’s hard because when I’m playing I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m pretty good at this. I can continue to do this,’ which not a lot of people can say.”

Williams' retirement came with the brutal twist that she never equalled Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 grand slam titles. The American champion lost the last four grand slam finals that she played.

The final match of her professional career was a loss to Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round at Flushing Meadows. "I was actually not very happy at all, just because of the result," she said earlier this month.

Williams has also opened up about the complications following her first pregnancy after she suffered a pulmonary embolism. “This sparked a slew of health complications that I am lucky to have survived,” she explained in 2018.

“First my C-section wound popped open due to the intense coughing I endured as a result of the embolism. I returned to surgery, where the doctors found a large hematoma, a swelling of clotted blood, in my abdomen.

“And then I returned to the operating room for a procedure that prevents clots from traveling to my lungs. When I finally made it home to my family, I had to spend the first six weeks of motherhood in bed.”

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