Serena Williams celebrates winning her second-round match against Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic at the Australian Open on Jan 17. Reuters File

Superstar confirms pregnancy, plans to return to tour in 2018

CHICAGO - Tennis star Serena Williams' plan to return to competition in 2018 will depend on how quickly her body recovers from giving birth this fall and how hard she trains through her pregnancy, said researchers who study pregnancy in high-performing athletes.

Williams, 35, on Wednesday confirmed her pregnancy through a spokesperson, after posting a picture on social media of herself in a yellow bathing suit with the caption "20 weeks".

The spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, said Williams "is definitely not able to play in 2017 and she looks forward to returning in 2018".

Williams turns 36 in September.

It would be perfectly safe for her to continue with rigorous training throughout pregnancy, but how quickly she will return to tournament tennis was uncertain, the researchers said.

Williams, 5-foot-9 and and 155 pounds according to her profile on the WTA website, won her 23rd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.

One athlete who made a strong comeback after childbirth was English runner Paula Radcliffe, who won the New York marathon in 2007 six weeks before turning 34 and 10 months after having a child.

Extreme exercise and training during pregnancy remains safe and can contribute to a swift return to pre-pregnancy performance levels, provided the delivery goes smoothly, according to a survey of scientific literature by experts on behalf of the International Olympic Committee.

"I've known women who are back to running fast 5Ks in a month because they ran probably up until 36 weeks without much problem," said James Pivarnik, a kinesiology professor at Michigan State University.

Commentators on the Tennis Channel on Wednesday, including former American star Tracy Austin, a three-time Grand Slam winner, noted that other mothers have come back into the sport.

"She's already done so much, does she need more?" Austin said about Williams.

"We've seen a lot of great great champions come back after having a child and it really comes down to her motivation."

Predicting how long it will take Williams to recover from her pregnancy depends on several factors, including whether she had an easy or complicated delivery, whether she breastfeeds and whether her baby sleeps through the night or keeps her up for feedings every few hours.

"Physically, if she has a normal, uneventful birth, the baby is a doll and she is not nursing, she could recover back to normal in about four to six weeks," said Dr Bruce Young, Silverman Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York University's Langone Medical Center.

But all of those variables have to line up.

"As much as we would like to be able to predict this stuff, the nature of pregnancy is it's going to be different for everyone," said Lauren Stretcher, clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

Williams has not played since January, citing a knee injury. But she has proved herself capable of returning to top form after long absences from competition.

She was sidelined for almost 12 months after her 2010 Wimbledon victory, returning from a potentially life-threatening pulmonary embolism.

Over the past year Williams' schedule has included few tournaments outside the Grand Slams.

Her appearance at the Australian Open tuneup event in Auckland, New Zealand, marked her first tournament since her semifinal exit at the US Open last September.

A number of players stand to benefit from Williams' absence for the remainder of the year, including German Angelique Kerber who last year unseated the American from the top of the world rankings.

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

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus was one of the game's top threats when she left last year to have her first child and the 27-year-old will have one of her main obstacles removed when she returns to competition later in 2017.

Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova, who returns to competition next week after a 15-month doping ban, could also benefit if she rediscovers her top form.

Sharapova has just two wins in 21 head-to-head meetings with rival Williams.

Reuters-AFP

Building a legend

Serena Williams (usa)

World ranking: 2

Age: 35 (26/09/1981)

Career earnings: $85 million

Career titles: 71

Career Grand Slam titles: 23 - Australian Open: 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017; French Open: 2002, 2013, 2015; Wimbledon: 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016; US Open: 1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014

Deposed by Angelique Kerber as world No 1 last year, Williams regained the top ranking with her victory at the Australian Open victory in January, but inactivity since that tournament has dropped her back to No 2.

With her 23rd Grand Slam title she surpassed Germany's Steffi Graf for the most in the Open Era.

AFP