Andy Murray’s coach has announced she is pregnant – two days before the British tennis star’s wedding to Kim Sears.
Former world No 1 Amelie Mauresmo is expecting her baby in August, and will be heavily pregnant as she guides Murray through Wimbledon.
The openly gay 35-year-old broke the news on social media on Thursday night.
Amelie Mauresmo was appointed as Andy Murray's coach last summer
Mauresmo revealed on Twitter: ‘Baby will be here in august! #pregnant So happy.’
Murray, 27, marries long-time fiancee Kim Sears at Dunblane Cathedral on Saturday and the news is likely to overshadow their preparations.
Mauresmo, who won Wimbledon and the Australian Open titles in 2006, came out as gay at the 1999 Australian Open.
Mauresmo roars on Murray during his Australian Open quarter-final clash with Nick Kyrgios in January
Thursday’s Tweet was accompanied by a photo of a pair of baby-sized blue All Star trainers next to a pair of adult shoes.
Mauresmo was appointed as Murray’s coach in June 2014 following his split from Ivan Lendl three months earlier.
Much of the initial debate around Mauresmo’s appointment centred on whether she could instil a more aggressive attitude in Murray. But it also focused on whether he could rediscover the self-control that became so evident under Lendl.
Mauresmo, a former world number one, won Wimbledon and Australian Open singles titles back in 2006
Mauresmo celebrates beating Justine Henin-Hardenne to win Wimbledon in 2006
Mauresmo also won the Australian Open in 2006
Away from the court, on which he is ferociously competitive, Murray is said to be thoughtful, with a gentle and sensitive side, similar to softly spoken Mauresmo.
He was forced to defend her appointment, saying: ‘She was someone who struggled with nerves and conquered them later in her career. Someone like that can help more than someone who hasn’t had those issues before.
‘You can talk about Amelie’s accomplishments, she won a lot. She was No 1 in the world, she won multiple Grand
Slams, she had a creative game style. As a person, she is very nice, very easy to communicate with, but she is firm as well. So those are the reasons I wanted to give it a shot.’
Murray insisted his coaching liaison with Mauresmo was long-term after he surrendered his Wimbledon crown last summer.
The Scot arrived back in Britain on Monday as world No 3 in the new rankings.
Despite his recent tournament finishes getting him back near the top of his game, Murray has had to put tennis aside this week as he and Kim Sears make last-minute preparations for their wedding on Saturday.
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