Tennis fans will likely see a little less Serena Williams on the court this season as the 35-year-old prepares to have her first child. On Wednesday, the 23-time Grand Slam champion showed off what appeared to be a nice baby bump on Snapchat, indicating that she was 20 weeks along.
The news isn't entirely unexpected as Williams has long hinted that she wanted to be a mother some day, but the timing is a bit of a surprise. Just days ago, she implied on Instagram that she was not pregnant while promoting her friend and former Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland's new book for expecting mothers.
"One of these days I hope to apply this," Williams wrote of the lessons in the book. She added, though, "But for now I'll stick to my dog Chip."
Williams has remained active in her pregnancy. For one, if she is about five months along, that means she was expecting when she won the Australian Open in late January. It also means that she's due in early September, around the same time as the U.S. Open.
Williams also recently posted pictures of herself vacationing with fiance Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, in Jamaica, where she went ziplining.
Neither Williams nor Ohanian have posted anything else on social media or commented publicly on a possible baby, but her fans instantly chimed in, congratulating her on her latest achievement.
Tiger talk
Tiger Woods is promoting his book on the 1997 Masters. And he's designing golf courses, the latest project a public course at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri. He's just not playing much golf.
Woods hit two shots to a par-3 during the TGR Design announcement Tuesday in southwest Missouri. The first one was short and rattled around in the rock. The second one landed about 10 feet away from the flag.
In video from PGA Tour Entertainment, Woods said his back was progressing.
"I have good days and bad days," Woods said. "I've had three back operations, and that's the nature of the business, unfortunately. That's all I can say."
Woods hasn't played since he opened with a 77 in the Dubai Desert Classic on Feb. 2 and withdrew because of back spasms. He said he tried to get ready for the Masters, but rehabilitation on his back did not allow him enough time.
The next target dates for Woods if he plans to play are The Players Championship (May 11-14), the Memorial (June 1-4) and the U.S. Open (June 15-18), which will be held at Erin Hills in Wisconsin for the first time.
Woods has not played in a major since he missed the cut in the 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.
Headlines
From sportspickle.com:
• "Starling Marte apologizes for hitting only 9 HR while using steroids: 'I'm so embarrassed' "
From theonion.com:
• "James Harden dreading long 15-minute walk to get back on defense"
Sports quiz
Where did Aaron Hernandez originally commit to play college football before selecting the University of Florida?
Sports answer
Connecticut
Sports on 04/20/2017