Tennis legend Serena Williams validated her expectancy of a second child on the auspicious evening of Monday, disclosing to the press present at the Met Gala in New York that a party of three – herself, her husband Alexis Ohanian and the little one on the way – graced the grandeur of the red carpet event.

The 23-time major winner announced last year that she was "evolving away from tennis," writing in a Vogue magazine article that she wanted to grow her family after welcoming daughter Olympia in 2017.

"Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the three of us to the Met Gala," Williams said in a TikTok post on Monday evening.

Williams, a long-time friend of Wintour, the Vogue editor-in-chief and Met Gala co-chair, is a frequent attendee of the annual event to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute and on Monday donned a form-fitting black gown with a white skirt.

The theme of this year's gala was "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," in honor of the late Chanel designer.

She also had a friend on the red carpet, with retired 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer attending as a co-chair of the event.

Footage from the red carpet showed Ohanian, an entrepreneur and the co-founder of Reddit, gently resting his hand on the stomach of the 41-year-old Williams.

The announcement made a return to competitive tennis appear highly unlikely for Williams, one of the most decorated athletes ever to pick up a racket.