“I would love to schedule things differently”: Belinda Bencic highlights WTA demands after returning to the Top 10

Belinda Bencic spoke upon her arrival in Melbourne about whether she sees herself as a contender for the Australian Open title, following an outstanding start to the season at the United Cup.

The 28-year-old Swiss returned to the Top 10 this week after a remarkable campaign in the United Cup, where she led Switzerland all the way to the final. Bencic recorded five consecutive singles victories and also added four straight wins in mixed doubles alongside Jakub Paul, reaching the final for the first time. There, they were eventually defeated by the Polish pairing, who went on to claim the title in the decisive match.

“Being world No. 11 wasn’t really the goal — the next goal was to break back into the Top 10. I just want to keep going on this path and not think too much about what’s next. This is a fresh tournament and a fresh start. My first round isn’t easy, so all my focus is on that,” Bencic said during her press conference in Melbourne.

It has been a year since Bencic made her return to the Australian Open, where in 2025 she produced an impressive comeback run to the fourth round. During that campaign, she defeated notable opponents such as Jelena Ostapenko and Naomi Osaka before being eliminated in three sets by Coco Gauff in the Round of 16.

“It’s definitely come a long way since last year. Last year was the start of my comeback, and physically I maybe didn’t feel ready yet to compete three sets with the best players in the world, even though my tennis level came back quite fast,” she explained. “It’s been a long year. I played a lot of matches, had many good tournaments and great results, so I definitely feel like I’m playing very good tennis right now. I’ve improved a lot physically, my movement is good, and I feel much better overall.”

Bencic became one of the mothers on the WTA Tour after a break that kept her away from competition for much of 2024. At 28, she became last week the first mother to return to the Top 10 since Serena Williams achieved the feat in 2018. She is also one of the few mothers who regularly travel to tournaments with her daughter and family.

“Yes, she travels everywhere with me. It’s definitely not easy — it’s challenging — but it’s something we wanted, and I think we’re managing it well so far,” Bencic said. “I’ve learned to be more spontaneous and open. I used to like planning everything ahead, but that’s just not really possible anymore. We’re kind of winging it every day and adapting to schedules as best as we can, because plans always change.”

She also noted that motherhood has changed how she approaches training and competition. “I feel more productive on court. When I go to practise or train in the gym, I don’t have much time, so I do the best I can. I go in, do my work, and then I’m done. After that, I go back to being a mom and life outside the court.”

When asked whether she would like to adjust her schedule to make travelling with her daughter easier, Bencic admitted that the current WTA calendar leaves little flexibility. “I would love to schedule things differently, honestly. But the WTA requirements are very demanding. You have to play a certain number of tournaments, four Grand Slams, six 500s, mandatory events, Fed Cup, Olympics — there’s really no room to skip tournaments.”

“I’d love to make the schedule more friendly for my body as well, especially still coming back from pregnancy and postpartum,” she added. “But everything is mandatory. If you don’t play, you get fines and ranking disadvantages, which makes it hard to move up.”

Bencic will begin her Australian Open campaign on Tuesday, January 20, against Britain’s Katie Boulter. It promises to be a challenging opening-round encounter, as Boulter recently slipped in the rankings and will be eager to claim a statement win.

If Bencic advances, a potential second-round clash against Daria Kasatkina could await her in what is a demanding draw for a player who started the tournament inside the Top 10 seeds.