Angelique Kerber is hoping her return to the tennis court after giving birth will be as impactful as the likes of Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters.

The German announced her pregnancy ahead of the 2022 US Open in a heartwarming social media post and has taken her maternity leave since.

She has not welcomed her baby to the world yet but she is already looking ahead to her comeback.

What did Angelique Kerber say about her return to tennis?

Kerber is due to give birth sometime "this spring" and she is fully determined to get herself back into training and onto the court again in 2023.

"I don’t know what time or which tournament because I really want to take the time," she told the WTA website. "And when I come back, I want to come back 100 per cent, fit again and feel good. This is the plan."

Kerber spoke to Williams after she gave birth to daughter Olympia in 2017 and asked her what it was like to make her comeback following pregnancy.

She also talked to Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka about their experiences.

"When you talk now to them, it’s more intense listening to what they say," Kerber said. "We see the mums can come back, also winning big titles. And I hope I can also be one of them, inspiration for new mums and women to come back to doing their business."

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 12: Angelique Kerber of Germany celebrates match point against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during their Ladies' Singles semi-final match on day ten of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Indeed, Clijsters won back-to-back US Open titles in 2009 and 2010 after giving birth to her first child Jada in 2008. The Belgian won a further Grand Slam as a mother at the Australian Open in 2011.

Azarenka did not win a Grand Slam after giving birth to son Leo in 2016, but she did beat Naomi Osaka in the final of the 2020 Western and Southern Open.

Williams won the 2017 Australian Open while seven weeks pregnant with Olympia. She returned to the court even after a traumatic birth, which left her bedridden for six weeks.

The US legend won her first tournament following her return at the 2020 ASB Classic. She continued to be viewed as the tennis GOAT right up until her retirement earlier this year, despite appearances and wins becoming far less frequent.

All three women returned to the sport after having their babies and continued to make lasting impressions on the court. Kerber hopes the same narrative will apply to her.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 28: Serena Williams poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy after winning the Women's Singles Final against Venus Williams of the United States on day 13 of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

What has Angelique Kerber won?

Kerber has won 16 singles titles in her career so far across all surfaces, including three Grand Slams.

In 2016, she reached the highest point of her game after opening the year with her first major title at the Australian Open.

The German stormed to the final in Melbourne, where she faced reigning champion Williams in the final. After an extremely close match, Kerber emerged victorious with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win.

After her maiden Grand Slam triumph, Kerber rode the wave of her success and took it with her to Rio de Janeiro and New York.

She won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games, narrowly losing out on gold to Monica Puig, before defeating Karolína Plíšková in the final of the US Open to claim her second major title.

SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 25: Angelique Kerber of Germany celebrates victory in her singles match against Simona Halep of Romania during day 3 of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore at Singapore Sports Hub on October 25, 2016 in Singapore. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Kerber became the world number one after her victory at Flushing Meadows and held her new ranking until January 2017.

After failing to defend her Australian Open title, she fell to number two but leapfrogged into the lead once again in March until July.

Kerber also reached the final of the WTA Finals in 2016 after a trailblazing year.

Her third Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon 2018, where she once again got the better of Williams in the final, this time without dropping a set to the tennis legend.

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