Serena Williams confirms pregnancy; tennis star might have competed while pregnant

The Wimbledon champion posted a photo Wednesday on Snapchat announcing that she is 20 weeks into her pregnancy.

Full-term pregnancies are generally 40 weeks long. Williams is expected to give birth in the fall.

Williams later deleted the photo before releasing public comment.

“I’m happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this fall,” William’s spokeswoman, Kelly Bush Novak, said.

Bush Novak said Wednesday that the 35-year-old tennis star will take maternity leave for the rest of the year, with plans to return to the circuit in 2018.

Williams' fellow tennis pro athletes and other celebrities wished her well on social media.

If Williams is 20 weeks into her pregnancy, she competed in the Australian Open in January while she was two months pregnant. She went on to win her 23rd Grand Slam tournament singles title.

Williams is the highest-paid female athlete, earning an annual salary of about $29 million, according to Reuters.

Williams recently posted a photo on social media of herself and her fiance, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

Last week, Williams posted a photo on Instagram congratulating former Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland on her new book, "Whoa, Baby!: A Guide for New Moms Who Feel Overwhelmed and Freaked Out (and Wonder What the #*$& Just Happened)."

“This book Kelly wrote is a guide for new moms. One of these days I hope to apply this (but for now I'll stick to my dog Chip),” Williams wrote on Instagram. “The introduction is hilarious and had me hooked from the first word!”