Tennis superstar Serena Williams confirms pregnancy

Frank Pingue

The star – due to regain to the No. 1 world ranking next week – is expected to give birth in the autumn.

The 35-year-old has dominated tennis for the last decade and is the world's highest paid female athlete.

She announced her engagement to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian last December.

If Williams is indeed 20 weeks into her term, that would mean she was approximately two months pregnant when she captured her record 23rd Grand Slam tournament singles title at the Australian Open in January.

Her victory over older sister Venus Williams broke a tie with Steffi Graf for the most Grand Slam singles championships in the sport's modern era. Serena Williams has not played since then, citing a knee injury.

Williams is the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam singles title and still dominates the tour at an age when most players have retired.

Williams, who has played professionally for two decades, first gained the No. 1 ranking in 2002 and has held that spot for more than six years in total.