Anett Kontaveit announces pregnancy in sleek, all-black maternity photo shoot

Oh, baby! Former world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit announced her pregnancy in sleek fashion last week, as she and longtime boyfriend Brent Lepistu posed for an all-black maternity photo shoot with photographer Krõõt Tarkmeel.

"New family member on the way," the Estonian, 28, captioned the photos, alongside a heart emoji and a baby face symbol. Styled by Maarja Siim, Kontaveit wore a floor-length evening gown and stilletoed pumps, while Lepistu opted for a black turtleneck sweater, a blazer and trousers. Make-up was done by Estonia-based Gerda Miller.

Kontaveit, who retired from tennis last summer, and Lepistu, a soccer player also from Estonia, have been dating since 2022.

The retired Kontaveit received a flood of congratulations from her former peers, as she was one of the WTA's most popular players in the locker room. Among the players to send happy messages were 2020 Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic, who gave birth herself last month, and Ons Jabeur, who said she's ready to be an "auntie." Jabeur and Kontaveit were great friends while on tour together, and the Tunisian had an honored role as Kontaveit's final opponent in Kontaveit's final farewell to tennis at the end of last year.

The highest-ranked player ever from Estonia, Kontaveit was forced to cut her playing career short due to a degenerative back problem. She played her last tour-level tournament last year at Wimbledon; won an invitation-only exhibition in Luxembourg with Daniela Hantuchova, Andrea Petkovic, Pauline Parmentier, Monica Puig, Lucie Safarova and Mandy Minella in October; and played in Tallinn with Jabeur a month later.

Last month, Estonian publishing house Kirjastus Pilgrim revealed that a book about Kontaveit's life and career will be published in November. Might that be the first bedtime story her little one gets to hear?