tennis

Serena Williams says she made pregnancy news public by accident

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, SI Wire/Sports Illustrated

Serena Williams said she was taking a personal photo of her pregnancy on Snapchat when she accidentally hit the wrong button and made the post public.

Williams posted the photo with the caption "20 weeks," leading to speculation that she was expecting her first child. Her representatives later confirmed the pregnancy.

"I was on vacation, taking time for myself, and I have this thing where I’ve been checking my status and taking a picture every week,” Williams said at the TED2017 Conference in Vancouver. “I’ve been just saving it, but you know how social media is — you press the wrong button and…”

“My phone doesn’t ring that much, and thirty minutes later, I’d missed four calls. So I picked it up and realized, ‘Oh no.'”

Williams said she found out she was pregnant two weeks before the Australian Open and worried about competing in the tournament.

"I was nervous,” she says. “I wasn’t sure what to do. Can I play? I know it’s very dangerous in the first 12 weeks or so, so I had a lot of questions." She ended up winning the tournament anyway.

Williams, the world's No. 1 ranked player, also plans on competing again next year after giving birth.

"My story isn’t over. My baby is going to be in the stands, hopefully cheering for me and not crying too much," she says.

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