Rio Olympics gold medal winner Monica Puig announced the birth of her first child on Sunday. The Puerto Rican tennis star and her husband, Nathan Rakitt, who have named their daughter Mila Alexandra Rakitt, shared a heart-touching post on social media to announce her arrival into the world.
Congratulations Have Poured in for Monica Puig After Birth of Her First Child
Puig on Sunday posted an adorable photograph to announce the birth of her first child. In the picture, Puig and her husband can be seen holding the newborn’s hand.
“Never knew a love like this existed,” the 31-year-old Puerto Rican commented on the post. “Mila Alexandra Rakitt / 07•30•25.”
“Congratulations,” world No. 2 Coco Gauff commented on the post, attaching a few hearts.
“Yup,” 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert wrote, also adding a few hearts to her comment.
“Congratulations & welcome to the moms club,” wrote fellow mom Sabine Lisicki, who gave birth to her daughter, named Bella, in September of last year.
Former World No. 5 Lucie Safarova, who is also a mother, also congratulated Puig. “Congratulations family,” she commented. “Welcome to the moms club!”
Many other current and former tennis pros, including Carla Suárez Navarro, Barbora Strycova, Elena Vesnina, Tracy Austin, Shelby Rogers, Johanna Konta and Alison Riske-Amritraj also offered their congratulations to the new mother.
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In February, Puig announced that she and her husband were expecting a daughter later in the year.
“So excited to jump into our most exciting adventure yet,” Puig captioned a picture of the couple. “Baby girl Rakitt coming Summer 2025.”
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How Monica Puig Scripted Fairytale Triumph at Rio Olympics 2026
At the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, Monica Puig made history by winning the gold medal in women’s singles tennis. She defeated a strong lineup that included Polona Hercog, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Garbiñe Muguruza, Laura Siegemund, Petra Kvitová, and finally Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the final.
Puig became the first athlete representing Puerto Rico to win an Olympic gold medal in any sport, and the first woman from Puerto Rico to win an Olympic medal.
She was also only the second unseeded player to medal in Olympic tennis, after Alicia Molik’s bronze in 2004, and the first Latin American woman to win singles gold.
Puig reached a career-high ranking of No. 27 in the world. She won two titles on the pro tour, including the Olympics.
Monica Puig Retired at 29 After Numerous Injuries
Puig, after numerous injuries, retired from professional tennis in 2022 at the age of 29.
“It’s not a goodbye, but a see you soon,” Puig wrote on social media announcing her retirement. “Over the past 28 years of my life, tennis has been my constant. It has given me some of the most thrilling and memorable experiences I could have ever asked for.”
“But, sometimes, good things come to an end. Today, I announce my retirement from tennis. After a tough 3 year fight with injuries and 4 surgeries, my body had enough,” she added.
Post-retirement, the Puerto Rican star has contributed to the Tennis Channel as an analyst.
