It is long said that the career of an athlete is short and in particular for those female athletes who become mothers with many either not coming back or having minimal comebacks. Tennis in particular is a sport that in the past has been somewhat unforgiving until today.
The new move to give WTA players maternity pay will be met with much positivity and it is a long time coming perhaps lending itself to more top players deciding that they can halt their careers for a time to bring a child into the world.
Some have success when they return and others merely become a statistic. Take the batch of last year's returning mothers. Elina Svitolina included who was WTA Comeback Player of the Year and was perhaps the best example to date in the recent crop of players. She somewhat became a better player after becoming a mother.
Angelique Kerber albeit was 35 and has now become pregnant for a second time so likely was set to leave the sport anyway gave it one final crack. She bowed out at the Olympic Games playing some of her best tennis since her comeback. But in reality, age caught up with her return more than anything.
Naomi Osaka has shown fits and starts since returning as a mother. Albeit she is nowhere near the player as of yet who was World No.1 and a multiple Grand Slam champion. She has been beset by bad luck which in reality has not helped her cause but she is over a year in and isn't where she wants to be.
She said herself that her loss to Camila Osorio was her the worst of her career and it doesn't seem to be as easy as she perhaps expected or anyone did for that matter. But she still has time and albeit came back with big expectation on her shoulder.
Belinda Bencic returned this season and has shown the route perhaps that big names who otherwise would rely on wildcards should take. She was able to grind at a smaller level and find form again. She then went and had a good Australian Open and won Abu Dhabi. This mere months removed from becoming a mother.
Albeit she is only in her late 20's so has time yet that perhaps other mothers don't have. Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams as such are the blueprint.
Kim Clijsters is the anomaly with the Belgian being the only player to have won a Grand Slam singles title as a mother. But this takes away that barrier.
Kim Clijsters remains an anomaly one that Azarenka hopes will cease.
“I’m extremely happy for all the young moms, new moms when they come out and succeed and just go out there and do their thing and represent our sport on such a global stage,” Azarenka said to CNN.
“There’s probably going to be more grand slam champions that are moms and I think that is amazing. I hope, of course, it’s going be me as a competitor. We had Serena be also very close to that. I was very close to that achievement.
“We’re still competitors, we want to make that happen, (and) I think it’s going be an incredible opportunity to see that happen.”
Aryna Sabalenka, the current World No.1 has shared her own hope that one day she can take a break to become a mother and used Bencic as an example.
“That's impressive, honestly. She just came back,” the three-time Grand Slam champion said.
“I think [at the] Australian Open she had a great run [to the fourth round] and now she's holding the trophy. It's amazing, I'm super happy for her, she definitely deserved that.”
“As she said, she worked really hard for that, and it's good to see. It gives us hope that probably, whenever we’re all going to go for babies, we have a chance to come back if we want to.”
This announcement gives players access to resources they wouldn't have ordinarily. Nowadays players have to essentially just go off tour for a year with their only safety blanket being the same as for instance an Amanda Anisimova or a Bianca Andreescu or Emma Raducanu who left the tour for personal reasons or injury.
They have a certain amount of protected rankings and then they are on their own. This hasn't helped the likes of Caroline Wozniacki for instance who albeit returned after a few years away but had to work herself back up in a status she wasn't used to.
But now it gives players who think they can't afford to become a mother due to cost the chance to have that financial buffer and also access to grants. For 12 months they will not have to worry about the next paycheck due to the lack of tournaments.
Piece of mind and something that will hopefully see more players take that risk if they've been wanting to and follow those who have dared. Also, it may give players who perhaps shouldn't have come back the chance to say they've got that money coming in so they don't need to.
The only issue perhaps is the source of the funding with the WTA using the PIF (Public Investment Fund) of Saudi Arabia with much reservation about their involvement after the issues surrounding human rights and them going to Riyadh last season as a result.
But while it likely won't be felt for a while. The wide spread change for players will be huge and it has been a long time coming and vindication for the likes of Azarenka, Bencic, Osaka and Kvitova who have took that risk and now others don't have to.
Ons Jabeur famously was a player who wanted to win a Grand Slam so she could leave and become a mother. Danielle Collins also spoke about becoming a mother and retiring as a result. But now for those players that cloak of uncertainty wears off at least in one layer.
A fight won and albeit not the only issue surrounding women's tennis, it is at least one ticked off the list in a positive direction.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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