Former World No.2 Anett Kontaveit, who retired from tennis last summer, is expecting her first child.
The 28-year-old Estonian made the announcement via her social media channels this week, posting sleek photos from a maternity photoshoot alongside her longtime boyfriend, soccer player Brent Lepistu. Wearing all black, the couple poses in eye-catching fashion to showcase Kontaveit’s baby bump.
“New family member on the way,” Kontaveit captioned the post, alongside a heart emoji and a baby face symbol.
Well-wishers quickly flooded the comment section, as the popular Estonian received congratulatory messages from many of her former peers on the Hologic WTA Tour, from Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula to Sloane Stephens and Donna Vekic.
“Auntie Ons is ready,” Jabeur added. The Tunisian and Kontaveit were good friends on tour, and Kontaveit flew Jabeur to Tallinn last November to be her opponent in an exhibition match that was her final farewell to tennis.
The Estonian’s announcement comes amidst a baby boom of sorts for former Top 10 players, as two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and reigning Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic (who gave birth to a daughter, Bella, last month) are both off the tour currently on maternity leave.
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Kontaveit played her last tour-level match last July at Wimbledon, as she was forced to end her career due to a degenerative back injury. Kontaveit was the highest-ranking player in her country’s tennis history, and last month, Estonian publishing house Kirjastus Pilgrim revealed that a book about her life and career will be published in November.