Recently-retired Spanish star Carla Suárez Navarro and her partner, soccer player Olga García, shared some happy news on social media on Tuesday: They'll soon be parents.
“Let’s grow the family,” Suárez Navarro wrote on social media in Spanish announcing the news, which noted that they'll welcome a baby in June. “Excited and happy to face this big moment. Very soon we will be one more.”
Seven-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Suárez Navarro was one of the most popular players in the locker room during her career, and that goodwill extended to her Instagram comments when she announced the news. Her fellow Spaniards, Garbiñe Muguruza and Paula Badosa; former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki; and other peers including Kiki Bertens, Sara Errani and Jil Teichmann were among those to send their well wishes.
"Both Olga García, my partner, and I feel an enormous responsibility, we are very proud to have taken this step and we were excited to share it with all of you," Suárez Navarro added in a press statement.
"Olga and I really wanted to be able to expand the family. After my retirement from sports, and 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 about what we are experiencing and with all the new experiences that we hope to live soon.
"If everything goes as planned by the doctors, we should be due at the end of June. We are looking forward to that moment. Thank you all so much for the love."
Former World No.6 Suárez Navarro played her last season in 2021 after successful beating Hodgkin's lymphoma. She intended to retire from tennis in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with her diagnosis, extended her plans for another year.
Cancer-free Suárez Navarro preparing for final farewell tour (published 2021)
She returned to the sport at Roland Garros last year, and also competed at Wimbledon, the US Open, the Tokyo Olympics, and the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. For her efforts, the Spaniard was honored as the 2021 WTA Comeback Player of the Year.