Former world number one tennis player Angelique Kerber has given birth to her first baby, a little girl.

The tennis champion revealed on social media that she’d given birth to her daughter on the 25th of February, naming her Liana.

“Having you with us is the most beautiful & overwhelming feeling we could have ever imagined,” she wrote.

Angelique revealed in August last year that she had pulled out from the US Open, for ‘the best possible reason’ – because she was pregnant.

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A post shared by Angelique Kerber (@angie.kerber)

The 34-year-old tennis champion said at the time while she ‘really wanted’ to play the US Open, she decided that ‘two against one just isn’t a fair competition’.

“For the next months, I will take a break from traveling the globe as a tennis player but then again, I believe it’s for the best possible reason!” she wrote on Instagram.

“I will miss all of you. New York has often been a turning point in my career and it feels like this year will be no different in some way!

“From restarting my career in 2011 to winning the title in 2016 and becoming #1 in the world the US Open has a special place in my heart and I wish I could have said goodbye to all of you on court before not being around on tour for a while.

“Being a professional athlete means everything to me but I’m grateful for the new path I’m heading to. To be honest, I’m nervous and excited at the same time. Thanks for your continued support – it means everything to me.”

 

 

 

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A post shared by Angelique Kerber (@angie.kerber)

The three time grand slam champion won the US Open in 2016, which propelled her to number one in the WTA rankings. That same year she also won the Australian Open, and she was crowned Wimbeldon champion in 2018.

Angelique hasn’t competed on the tour since her third round Wimbeldon loss in July last year, and she currently sits at 104 in the world. She is currently dating entrepreneur Franco Bianco.

The news comes after Serena Williams announced she was ending her tennis career to expand her family.