Williams, 35, announced she was engaged to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in December. The announcement left the sport’s chattering class wondering to what degree she was looking ahead to life after tennis.

She answered that speculation with brio at the Australian Open, capturing her 23rd major singles title without dropping a set to eclipse Steffi Graf’s record for grand slam titles in the Open era and regain the No1 ranking she’d ceded in the fall to Germany’s Angelique Kerber.

But she’s been inactive since her victory over elder sister Venus in the final at Melbourne Park.

Last month, Williams pulled out of Indian Wells and Miami, citing a left knee injury. That allowed Kerber to retake the top ranking.

A message to Williams’ agent was not immediately returned.

The apparent announcement comes as one of Williams’ top rivals is plotting her return from maternity leave.

Victoria Azarenka, the former world No1 and two-time grand slam champion, announced last week that she will return to the tour in July after stepping away last year when she became pregnant. Her son, Leo, was born in December.

Azarenka, 27, will end a layoff of more than 14 months when she enters the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.