Carla Suarez Navarro has announced she is pregnant, with the Spanish former tennis star who overcame cancer expressing her "tremendous joy" and "great pride."
Now 34, Suarez Navarro was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in September 2020, just months after announcing her intention to retire.
She delayed that retirement and, after being given the all-clear in April 2021, began a farewell tour at that year's French Open that included appearances at Wimbledon, the US Open, the Olympic Games and the Billie Jean King Cup.
Having left competitive tennis behind at the end of the 2021 season, Suarez said she and her partner Olga Garcia were thrilled to announce the pregnancy, with their baby due in June.
Garcia, 30, is a footballer who has played for the Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Spain women's teams.
They said in a shared statement on Instagram: "A new stage that we really wanted to experience. Let's grow the family! Excited and happy to face this big moment. Very soon we will be one more."
Both were showered with messages of congratulations and love, from the likes of Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and tennis names including Caroline Wozniacki, Garbine Muguruza, Paula Badosa and Sara Errani.
Suarez Navarro explained, in a statement reported by Spanish media: "We wanted to announce that I am three months pregnant. It's already 12 weeks of tremendous joy to bring a new life into the world.
"Both Olga Garcia, my partner, and I feel an enormous responsibility, a great pride for having taken this step, and we were excited to share it with all of you.
"This Tuesday, we went to perform the first trimester ultrasound, to verify that the pregnancy is progressing on the right track. Fortunately, the medical team has confirmed that the gestation process is developing completely normally.
"It is fantastic news for us and fills us with hope for the near future."
The former WTA player, who reached a career-high world ranking of sixth, added: "After my retirement from sports, with both of us still young, we thought it was the ideal time to face a process that fills us with joy and enthusiasm.
"We are very excited with what we are going through and with all the experiences that we hope to live soon."
World number one Swiatek sees off Xiyu in Madrid opener
World number one Iga Swiatek overcame Wang Xiyu with the minimum of fuss on Thursday to progress to the third round of the Madrid Open.
Swiatek has yet to win the title in Madrid, which is the only clay-court European event at which the Pole has not triumphed, but she got off to a flying start with a 6-1 6-4 victory over Xiyu.
"I love this place. I got to know the city a little better last year," Swiatek said. "So this time I feel more comfortable around."
Next up for the 22-year-old is a third-round tie against 27th seed Sorana Cirstea on Saturday.
Data Debrief
Swiatek has registered 150 match wins on the WTA Tour since the start of 2022. Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff are the next best with 108 wins each.
She also became the first player born this century to claim 50 combined match wins in Madrid, Rome and Roland-Garros, since the inaugural women's singles event at the Madrid Open in 2009.
Dominant Gauff double bagels Rus at Madrid Open
Coco Gauff made a flying start to her Madrid Open campaign on Thursday, recording the first double bagel main-draw win of her career as she cruised past Arantxa Rus to reach the round of 32.
Gauff needed just 51 minutes to see off 33-year-old Rus as she booked a meeting with Ukraine's Dayana Yamstremska for Saturday.
The US Open champion lost just 18 points throughout the match – eight in the opener and 10 in the second set – as she put any doubts over her recent form to bed in emphatic fashion.
Gauff's power proved too much for Rus in the opener, the third seed winning 88 per cent of points behind her first serve and converting three of four break points to go a set up in just 23 minutes.
Rus brought up four break points midway through the second set, but when she failed to convert them, Gauff punished her in ruthless fashion by reeling off another three games then finishing things with a terrific forehand winner.
Speaking after her win, the American said: "I played really well today. It was just one of those days for me… 6-0 6-0, I've never done that before, I'll probably never do it again."
Data Debrief: Gauff matches Azarenka, Halep feat
Gauff is just the third player to register a 6-0 6-0 win in the women's singles draw at the Madrid Open, following in the footsteps of two former world number ones in Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep.
The American, who only turned 20 last month, is also the youngest player to double bagel an opponent in any main-draw match on the WTA Tour since Iga Swiatek did so against Karolina Pliskova in the 2021 Italian Open final in Rome.
Nadal cruises past teen Blanch to tee up De Minaur rematch in Madrid
Darwin Blanch presented little challenge for Rafael Nadal, who dropped just one game in a convincing 6-1 6-0 triumph at the Madrid Open.
Nadal is feeling his way back to fitness, but 16-year-old qualifier Blanch offered little resistance to the 22-time major champion on Thursday.
Making his farewell appearance at the Madrid Open, where he has won five titles, Nadal needed just 64 minutes to progress to round two.
"I think today I played against an opponent with a great future in front [of him], but today, still making mistakes," said Nadal.
"I just tried to be there, be solid all the time without taking a lot of risks. It worked well. I'm happy to be through and I wish him all the very best for the future."
Nadal's reward is a rematch with Alex de Minaur, who he lost to last week in Barcelona.
Data Debrief
This game saw the largest age gap (21 years, 117 days) between two opponents in the history of ATP Masters 1000 events.
Nadal has now registered 57 wins at the Madrid Open, which is 20 clear of any other player.
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