Serena Williams has landed in Auckland for next week’s WTA tournament with news she’s engaged to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

The 35-year-old winner of 22 grand slam singles titles arrived in New Zealand on Friday morning having penned a poem that she posted – of course – on her Reddit account.

She described the proposal in Rome, which is where they first met, and ended with: “Down on one knee/ He said 4 words/ And I said yes.”

The world No.2, in Auckland for the first time to compete as she gears up for January’s Australian Open, has in the past been linked with rapper Drake, F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and actor Colin Farrell.

She reportedly started dating 33-year-old Ohanian in September last year.

Serena arrived alongside Danish star Caroline Wozniacki and older sister Venus will arrive later in the day.

“It’s always fun to go places you’ve never been,” Williams said.

“Venus said it was great and I should come, so I always listen to big sister.”

In the last two seasons Williams had favoured playing the Hopman Cup as her Australian Open warm-up but before that she claimed two straight titles in Brisbane, winning the 2012 and 2013 events there.