New York | Serena expecting second child

Serena Williams can stop teasing her fans with hints of an imminent return to women’s tour after announcing in an Instagram post that she is expecting her second child with husband Alexis Ohanian, she announced in an Instagram post ahead of her attendance at the Met Gala on Monday night in New York.

I'm feeling good now. I can breathe. I can stop hiding. Serena Williams

“Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the 3 of us to the Met Gala,” Williams captioned a Instagram carousel of photos of the couple, which included one of her cradling a baby bump.

Social media was soon abuzz as the couple hit the red carpet, where, f.or her big reveal, Williams donned a Gucci dress and layers of Tiffany jewellery.

In an interview on the red carpet with LaLa Anthony for Vogue, Williams said that she was thrilled to finally share her big secret with the world.

“I’m feeling good now. I can breathe,” Williams said. “I can stop hiding.”

Caroline Wozniacki, Iga Swiatek, and the celebrity world reacted to the exciting news on social media, congratulating the 23-time Grand Slam champion, who famously won the 2017 Australian Open while 8 weeks pregnant, and had found out that she was expecting just before the tournament began.

“Congratulations! 😍” Swiatek posted, while both the Australian Open and Olympics pages also extended their congratulations, and Michael B. Jordan chimed in with a congratulatory comment on the post: “AAAAYYYEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!”

Ohanian also took to social media as the co-founder of Reddit shared a story on Instagram: “@serenawilliams does everything with style – including baby announcements.”

Serena Williams posted images on social media cradling a baby bump

Williams and Ohanian are already parents to 5-year-old Olympia, who Williams gave birth to in September 2017.

The former World No 1 shared her personal journey of pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood in an essay for ELLE entitled ‘How Serena Williams Saved Her Own Life’, in which she wrote about the challenges she had faced.

The essay brought attention to the disparities in maternal mortality rates among black women, who are three times more likely to experience maternal mortality following childbirth compared to white women.

Williams revealed the neglectful treatment she had received from medical professionals that nearly resulted in her losing her life

“I spoke to the nurse. I told her: ‘I need to have a CAT scan of my lungs bilaterally, and then I need to be on my heparin drip.’ She said, ‘I think all this medicine is making you talk crazy.’ I said, ‘No, I’m telling you what I need: I need the scan immediately,’ ” Williams wrote. “Being heard and appropriately treated was the difference between life or death for me.”

In August, the 41-year old announced in another essay, this time for Vogue, that she would be ‘evolving away’ from tennis, citing a desire to expand her family.

“In the last year, Alexis and I have been trying to have another child, and we recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family,” Williams wrote in the essay. “I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”

Williams has spoken publicly about her difficult childbirth in 2017 and the long recovery that followed.

She returned to the tour just 6 months later but a 24th major title eluded her, which would have tied Margaret Court’s long-standing record, despite reaching 4 major finals and winning a title at Auckland in 2020.

During her final tournament at the 2022 US Open, Williams captivated fans with her run to the 3rd-round, which included a victory over second-seeded Anett Kontaveit, but after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic, she told her fans that her career had been ‘the most incredible ride and journey I’ve ever been on’.

Roger and Mirka Federer attend The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating 'Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty' at The Metropolitan Museum in New York City on Monday.

Williams is a long-time friend of Wintour, the Vogue editor-in-chief and Met Gala co-chair, and is a frequent attendee of the annual event to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

This year’s theme was ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’, in honour of the late Chanel designer, while an elegant Roger Federer, dressed in a black tuxedo and dark tortoiseshell sunglasses, served as a co-chair for one of the biggest nights in fashion, which is attended by many from the sports world alongside other celebrities.

Federer was spotted with his wife Mirka, while model Karlie Kloss also announced her own second pregnancy.

This was the first time that the 20-time Grand Slam champion has been at the event since 2017, and it got a great reaction on social media.

“This guy is literally the Michael Jordan of our sport”, with another writing “Bond, Roger Bond” in reference to his suit.

Roger posed on the red carpet arm-in-arm with his fellow former pro tennis player wife Mirka, 45, with the pair having married in 2009.

She wore an eye-catching semi-sheer pink gown with featured detail and a bow at the waist that swept the ground and featured a unique high neck.

Since 1948, stars have ascended the majestic staircase into a very exclusive party where no selfies are allowed.

Last year, the 2022 Met Gala reportedly raised a grand total of $17.4 million, while this year the price of admission apparently was raised from $30,000 to $50,000, although every guest has to be invited, and a waiting list exists for the coveted golden ticket.