In front of 15,000 cheering fans at the Australian Open on Monday, revolutionary Chinese tennis star Li Na announced that she is pregnant.
Na, hugely popular at the Australian Open where she won the title last year and reached the final in 2011 and 2013, unexpectedly announced her retirement form the sport in September.
The two-time Grand Slam winner is a guest of honour at Melbourne Park this year and told the crowd in Rod Laver Arena ahead of Roger Federer's opening match that she was expecting her first child, Sport24 reported.
Na said to huge cheers that she and her husband are so excited, adding that their first child would arrive in the summer.
Na added in statement that she was overjoyed. She said that a mere 12 months ago, she stood on the same court clutching the Australian Open trophy tightly in her hands with a huge grin on her face.
She claimed that she was overwhelmed with joy and a sense of accomplishment that she shared with everyone who had helped her along the road to this incredible achievement.
Na said that all of those emotions came back to her on Monday, yet she added that she had extra butterflies in her stomach because she wanted to share a very special secret with the Australian Open fans.
Na said that over the years, the Australian Open have supported her and truly helped her success, so she added that it felt just right to let them in on a little secret she has been holding on to for a few months now.
Na claimed that this summer, she and her husband are expecting their first child, adding that they are overjoyed and it really feels like this baby is going to enter the world already having about 15,000 friends.
Li, who won nine titles in her career, is credited with introducing tennis to the masses in China, the report added.