A dominant win within the final warm-up match earlier than a Grand Slam doesn’t sound like an event for an Olympic gold medalist to specific disbelief. However in Adelaide, after a 6-2, 1-0 (ret.) victory over world No. 14 Anna Kalinskaya, Belinda Bencic is at a loss.
“I didn’t even assume I’d be right here,” Bencic, 27 and the world No. 421, mentioned in her on-court interview.
Bencic isn’t coming back from a protracted harm. She’s executed that already, recovering from wrist surgical procedure and a five-month layoff in 2017 to rise from the 300s to a excessive of world No. 4 after which that Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021, the place she beat Marketa Vondrousova within the remaining. She’s doing what so many ladies do outdoors of tennis, however has till not too long ago been a rarity within the higher echelons of the game: getting back from a profession break throughout which she gave beginning to her first youngster, Bella in April 2024.
She could not have believed the pace of her return to type, however she has no doubts about the place she will be able to go now.
“I’m actually assured about getting again to the place I used to be and even higher,” she mentioned in a latest interview by way of Zoom from Slovakia, the place each her dad and mom are from.
“I felt actually impressed and courageous sufficient to have a child mid-career as a result of lots of different athletes and tennis gamers have executed it earlier than. It’s not like this isn’t attainable. Everybody confirmed that it’s attainable, they usually bought again to the identical degree.”
There was a time not that way back when having a child was thought of the tip of a tennis participant’s profession. Margaret Court docket, Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Kim Clijsters received Grand Slams after giving beginning, however usually gamers would solely begin households in retirement.
Then, in 2016, Serena Williams received the Australian Open whereas eight weeks pregnant. She went on to succeed in 4 extra Grand Slam finals after giving beginning to her first youngster, Olympia, in September 2017 and coming near demise from issues. Williams’ announcement of her being pregnant was a watershed second for tennis, with an rising variety of gamers feeling comfy having a mid-career break to begin a household because of this.
Victoria Azarenka reached the united statesOpen remaining in 2020, virtually 4 years after her son Leo was born, and the lady she misplaced to that night time, Naomi Osaka, returned to the tour for the 2024 season after the beginning of daughter Shai in July 2023. Osaka, 27, is seeking to get again to her finest in 2025 after an up-and-down comeback final 12 months. Within the 2024 Indian Wells important draw, Azarenka and Osaka had been amongst seven moms competing, together with former world No. 1s and Grand Slam champions Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki, who confronted off within the fourth spherical.
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Elina Svitolina enchanted the Wimbledon crowd in 2023 by reaching the semifinals solely three months after returning to the tour and 9 months after giving beginning, equalling her best-ever exhibiting at a Grand Slam within the course of. The Ukrainian ended the 12 months as world No. 25, profitable the WTA’s ‘comeback participant of the 12 months’ award. America’s Taylor Townsend, 28, had her best-ever season final 12 months. She received the Wimbledon girls’s doubles with Katerina Siniakova (her first Grand Slam title), reached the U.S. Open blended doubles remaining with Donald Younger and achieved a singles career-high rating of No. 46 following a run to the quarters of the Canadian Open WTA 1000 (one rung under the Grand Slams). Her son, Adyn, was born in March 2021.
Bencic, who enters the primary Grand Slam of the season along with her particular rating of No. 15, credit the numerous shift in attitudes for serving to her imagine that she may observe of their footsteps.
Belinda Bencic and Martin Hromkovic rejoice her Olympic gold in singles on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. (Clive Brunskill / Getty Photos)
She cites the legendary American athlete Allyson Felix, who continued to win Olympic medals and break world information after giving beginning, whereas additionally namechecking Williams, Azarenka and less-heralded tennis gamers similar to Stefanie Voegele and Yanina Wickmayer as inspirations. She’s had conversations in regards to the realities of coming again with Kerber, who retired on the Paris Olympics in July 2024 and has mentioned balancing tennis and childcare with Swiss compatriot Roger Federer.
Bencic can be conscious that, as with returning to the tennis court docket, preparation can typically be overtaken by elements past a participant’s management. America’s world No. 11 Danielle Collins deliberate to retire in November aged 30 to begin a household, however put that on maintain when she was informed that her endometriosis was presenting issues along with her getting pregnant. Ons Jabeur, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, has spoken poignantly of her want to have a child — however solely as soon as she’s landed that elusive first main title.
“It felt prefer it was proper for us at this second of our lives,” Bencic mentioned of her and her Martin Hromkovic’s determining when to begin a household.
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The WTA Tour has change into a extra hospitable place for gamers returning after having kids in the previous couple of years. Since 2019, gamers have been ready to make use of the rating they’d earlier than occurring hiatus to enter 12 tournaments over a three-year interval from the beginning of their youngster. If ranked excessive sufficient to be seeded in any of their first eight tournaments again, gamers are additionally shielded from going through a seeded participant within the opening spherical. When Williams started her comeback in 2018 having beforehand been world No. 1, she was having to enter tournaments unseeded.
There may be additionally a efficiency well being group, which affords tailor-made providers all through the method from help with breastfeeding or postpartum well being to diaphragm and core physiotherapy to stop delays in restoration. It affords personalised vitamin plans for lactation and athletic efficiency, and bespoke suggestions for postpartum sleep disturbances. On the Grand Slams and occasions starting from WTA 1000s like Madrid and Rome to 500-level tournaments just like the United Cup and Stuttgart, there’s on-site childcare, however this isn’t a typical throughout the circuit. Wozniacki final 12 months informed PA that she had been handled properly but in addition that “there needs to be extra executed for girls getting back from maternity go away.”
A WTA spokesperson informed The Athletic that regulatory variations in childcare provision throughout host international locations make a common childcare coverage unworkable. They added that the WTA “encourages” tournaments to supply childcare on a case-by-case foundation.
“We stay dedicated to offering sources to assist steadiness parenthood and the calls for of competing on the highest degree,” the spokesperson mentioned.
Thus far, these sources don’t embrace maternity pay. Osaka final 12 months mentioned “having a child shouldn’t really feel like a punishment” from a monetary perspective in an interview with the BBC, however there was no motion on the topic since November 2023, when Steve Simon, then chief govt of the WTA, described it as “scheduled for assessment” in a letter to gamers.
Sources briefed on the initiative, who spoke on the situation of anonymity to guard relationships inside the sport, have informed The Athletic that the WTA is eager to institute such a coverage and discussions with the gamers are ongoing. Osaka and Azarenka each emphasised that it might be lower-ranked gamers who want such an initiative greater than former champions with important sponsorship like themselves.
“I believe we’ve lots of work to do however they’re positively shifting heading in the right direction as a result of the questions are being requested,” Townsend informed The Athletic in a latest interview.
Taylor Townsend waves to her household after profitable the ladies’s doubles at Wimbledon in 2024. (Clive Brunskill / Getty Photos)
Like Bencic, Townsend believes that the normalization of getting kids whereas on tour will assist to impact change. “Issues can positively transfer faster now as a result of there are much more mothers on tour,” Townsend mentioned.
“I believe we’re going to see extra because the years go on.”
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Bencic, who received the 2015 Canadian Open by beating 4 of the highest six gamers on this planet — together with Williams — and reached the highest 10 the next 12 months at 18, performed the San Diego Open in September 2023 whereas round eight weeks pregnant. Her first match again with a rating was an ITF W75 in Petange, Luxembourg, in November 2024, when she was world No. 1213. By early December she was No. 913, leaping to world No. 421 after reaching the ultimate of the WTA 125 in Angers, France and beating world No. 123 Chloe Paquet within the United Cup on the finish of the month.
However the starting of her return to the court docket was removed from the beginning of her journey again. Round eight weeks after giving beginning to Bella, Bencic beginning doing pelvic ground and core stability workout routines. Steadily she began making an attempt to rebuild a few of her muscle and enjoying a little bit of tennis simply within the forecourt. After about 4 months, she felt like she may begin hitting once more, however she says that it’s “your reactions” that take the longest to return again into focus. “On the return, your eyes are mainly educated by enjoying day-after-day and seeing the ball,” she explains. “This isn’t expertise. You don’t have that, you must prepare it.”
She described the transformation of being pregnant as at first “actually unusual,” a view shared by different gamers in an identical place to her. Talking in a information convention on the Australian Open, Osaka mentioned that it was “actually robust to even run” post-partum.
“I do perceive why it’s very troublesome to, I assume, get to an expert degree,” she added.
For Bencic, she rapidly acclimatized to the modifications to her physique — till, as she places it, “you’re not pregnant anymore, then it’s bizarre.”
“The one troublesome factor was not with the ability to transfer or do lots of sports activities. And ultimately, it felt very limiting and I couldn’t wait till I may have a run once more or go to the gymnasium. So it actually went from 100 to zero,” Bencic mentioned.
“I’ve to say kudos to each girl on the market as a result of it’s actually loopy how briskly it modifications in such a bit of time. You go from being one hundred pc match to being pregnant after which afterwards it takes like lots of time. I believe they are saying you’ve been pregnant for 9 months or so and also you want the identical period of time afterwards to really feel such as you had been earlier than.
“I’m so amazed by how the physique works,” she mentioned.
Bencic used the occasions in Luxembourg and France as a testing floor — not simply to see the place her recreation was at, but in addition how issues would work logistically with a child daughter in tow. The apply court docket and match court docket initially felt like “two totally different universes,” however that remaining in Angers and her win over Paquet helped construct confidence. Even a sobering 6-1, 6-1 thrashing by the hands of world No. 4 Jasmine Paolini on the United Cup was each a reminder of how steep the highest of the tennis mountain is and a optimistic actuality test for the place she desires to be.
Belinda Bencic in Hamburg, the place competed with no rating in one in all her first occasions again. (Gregor Fischer / Press Alliance by way of Getty Photos)
Logistically, she’s discovered a manner of creating it work, helped by Bella being an excellent sleeper and Hromkovic, who can be Bencic’s bodily coach, taking care of Bella whereas Bencic trains and competes. Hromkovic can usually be seen with Bella in a sling on his chest, watching on whereas Bencic practices; each of Bella’s grandmothers pitch in and Bencic’s mom, Dana, will be a part of mom, father and daughter on the Australian Open. Bencic is adapting to enjoying on much less sleep, such an important factor for any athlete, however is grateful that Bella usually has fairly uninterrupted nights.
Logistical choices like these additionally carry an emotional weight, with the emotions of guilt so many dad and mom really feel when having to prioritize their careers over childcare. Coping with these challenges types a part of the psychological well being help gamers get from the WTA, and whereas Bencic is barely simply figuring this stuff out, for Townsend it’s been an ongoing concern.
“There’s a guilt typically that I really feel being gone for therefore many weeks, then a guilt about coming house for 2 days after being gone for 3 weeks, that’s so robust for me,” she mentioned.
“So finally I concentrate on the standard over amount and simply attempt to make sure that the time I do spend with him is one thing that he’ll keep in mind.”
Changing into a mom has lent Bencic this type of perspective, each on her household life and her tennis. “Tennis was my one and solely life, every thing I ever labored for,” she says.
“I’d put a lot strain on myself to ship a superb match and a superb efficiency, and if I’d have a foul apply, I’d assume all day about it. That’s utterly totally different now.
“It’s extra like a job, it’s extra separate. It’s nonetheless vital to me, I nonetheless have the eagerness and every thing, however it’s not every thing. I can lose a match and I don’t really feel like ‘My god, that is it.’”
(High picture: Steve Christo / Corbis by way of Getty Photos)