Poland | Kerber gives birth to a baby daughter

Angelique Kerber and her partner Franco Bianco have welcomed a baby daughter named Liana into the world, announcing on Twitter and Instagram on Tuesday that she had given birth on Saturday 25 February 2023.

I don’t know what time or which tournament because I really want to take the time. And when I come back, I want to come back 100 percent, fit again and feel good. This is the plan. Angelique Kerber

In the post, Kerber included a black-and-white photo of the baby’s hand resting on her parents’ fingers.

The 3-time Grand Slam winner and fitness entrepreneur partner are first-time parents.

“Welcome to our family, Liana *25.02.2023 ❤️ Having you with us is the most beautiful & overwhelming feeling we could have ever imagined,” she wrote.

The post was met with a plethora of congratulatory messages from fans and celebrities, including tennis stars Ana Ivanović, Dominika Cibulkova and Caroline Wozniacki.

Just a week before the birth, Angelique shared a snap from a stunning photoshoot, in which she showcased her burgeoning baby bump, hinting the baby was due very soon and writing: “Patiently waiting.”

Despite being 35-years-old, Kerber hopes to make a return to the WTA Tour after giving birth, saying she is inspired by the mothers on tour, who come back and win tournaments.

“When you talk now to them, it’s more intense listening to what they say,” Kerber told the WTA. “We see the moms can come back, also winning big titles.

“And I hope I can also be one of them, inspiration for new moms and women to come back to doing their business.”

Kerber would not give any timeline on her return to the court when she spoke to the WTA Tour’s media department back in November.

“I don’t know what time or which tournament because I really want to take the time,” she said. “And when I come back, I want to come back 100 percent, fit again and feel good. This is the plan.”

While Kerber was not at her peak best in the early part of 2022 she was still able to bag a title in Strasbourg and reached the 3rd-round at Wimbledon before bowing out to Elise Mertens.

She was then absent from the tour for a few months and was set to return to action in the US Open swing, but she then announced her withdrawal from Cincinnati and Toronto before announcing that she was expecting her first child early in 2023.

Up until late last year she was hitting balls at the Angie Kerber Tennis Academy not far from her home in Puszczykowo, Poland.

Kerber says that she is no hurry to get back on the tour, citing sage advice from other mothers on how to approach a return to work.

“Take your time,” Kerber said. “Enjoy the moment now. And then, they said I will feel when the time is there to come back. It’s better to take one month later than one month earlier.”