Serena Williams announces pregnancy on Met Gala red carpet

Retired tennis star reveals she is expecting her second child, stating there were ‘three of us’

NEW YORK:

Serena Williams confirmed she is expecting baby number two on Monday, telling reporters at the star-studded Met Gala in New York that there were "three of us" on the red carpet, where she arrived with husband Alexis Ohanian.

The 23-times major winner announced last year that she was "evolving away from tennis," writing in a Vogue magazine article that she wanted to grow her family after welcoming daughter Olympia in 2017. "Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the 3 of us to the Met Gala," Williams said in a TikTok post on Monday evening.

Williams, a long-time friend of Wintour, the Vogue editor-in-chief and Met Gala co-chair, is a frequent attendee of the annual event to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute and on Monday donned a form-fitting black gown with a white skirt.

The theme of this year's gala was "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," in honor of the late Chanel designer. She had a friend on the red carpet, as well, with retired 20-times Grand Slam winner Roger Federer attending as a co-chair of the event.

Footage from the red carpet showed Ohanian, an entrepreneur and the co-founder of Reddit, gently resting his hand on the midsection of the 41-year-old Williams.

The announcement made a return to competitive tennis appear highly unlikely for Williams, one of the most decorated athletes ever to pick up a racquet.