Grand Slam champions Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber are all a part of a rising development that sees extra moms competing on the WTA Tour.
Osaka and Kerber each gave start in 2023 and returned to competing on the high degree inside 18 months, whereas Wozniacki gave start to her second baby in late 2022 and got here again to tennis in August the next yr.
The WTA says there are round 20 moms enjoying on tour. However what’s driving this variation?
“There’s obviously a lot more mothers on tour but clearly in the past having a child was a bit of a career-ender or people would say it was,” Osaka informed Sky Sports activities earlier this yr.
“I think that having a family is a beautiful thing and we should all try to support it as best we can.”
Twenty years in the past, the highest 100 gamers had been, on common, underneath 24. Now, they’re nearly 27, giving athletes a much bigger window to start out a household and return to the game.
“I think because of the way the game has improved and the things around the game when it comes to physical health and nutrition, players are able to elongate their careers,” mentioned former British No 1, Johanna Konta.
“Women are realising they can physically come back and deal with the recovery process from childbirth.”
‘Tennis is expensive with or without kids’
Prize cash can also be one other issue that’s serving to tennis gamers select motherhood alongside their careers.
This yr, Wimbledon paid out a document £50m with the 2 singles champions taking residence £2.7m every. The prize cash has doubled from £25m in 2014 and is 5 occasions the quantity 20 years in the past.
For a lot of gamers, feeling financially safe is another excuse why they really feel comfy stepping away from the tour.
Many of the prize cash within the WTA goes to gamers on the earth’s high 200
“You don’t really get much support in tennis. You get your one hotel room paid for if you play at the WTA level,” Naomi Broady mentioned.
“On the ITF degree, the resort bills are on you. It is a very costly sport to play, whether or not you might have kids or not.
“I might need to make sufficient cash to cowl the additional prices of youngsters, inns, and journey.”
While absent, mothers see their rankings collapse.
In 2017, Serena Williams won the Australian Open final while eight weeks pregnant and did not drop a single set on her way to lifting the trophy.
Serena Williams defeated her sister, Venus, throughout the ladies’s singles closing on the Australian Open in 2017 whereas she was eight weeks pregnant
Williams isn’t the primary elite athlete to compete throughout a being pregnant.
In 2014, America’s Alysia Montano ran the 800m within the US Observe and Subject Championships regardless of being 34 weeks pregnant.
Extra just lately, AC Milan arrange a maternity coverage for his or her ladies’s gamers and employees to ensure contract renewals throughout being pregnant, changing into the primary membership in Europe to take action.
Modifications are being carried out to assist sport adapt to the wants of motherhood and tennis is not any exception.
Williams was ranked 453rd on the earth earlier than her Grand Slam return on the 2018 French Open.
Serena Williams was ranked 453rd on the earth earlier than her Grand Slam return on the 2018 French Open
Low rankings imply more durable attracts and qualifying for fewer prestigious tournaments and since then the WTA has upgraded its guidelines to guard rankings for returning moms.
“They didn’t particularly used to have a maternity rule. It was almost just the same as the injury timeout,” Broady mentioned.
“So you had two years to return to sport, after which you could freeze your ranking and use it for eight tournaments on your return.
“But since 2019, the maternity rule now allows three years from the birth of the child to return and you have 12 events to enter with your protected ranking from when you paused it.”
Maternity pay challenges stay
There have been extra moms enjoying on the WTA Tour than ever earlier than
Many of the prize cash goes to gamers on the earth’s high 200.
Those that fall exterior of that bracket usually earn lower than £50,000 and as unbiased contractors, tennis gamers will not be entitled to maternity pay which poses a big problem for a lot of.
“I think simply put if you do not have the money to be able to invest into your career, it will be very difficult to make a comeback,” added Konta.
“I mean, if you have reached a certain level in the game you have certain opportunities available to you such as wild cards and big events so you can possibly fast track your return.
“However, if you don’t have that benefit then it probably is tricky to come back.”
Johanna Konta introduced her retirement on the age of 30 in 2021
Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka needs to see the game make unprecedented modifications within the pursuit of equality.
“The next steps we’re hoping to do is create a maternity financial plan, I think that’s something that’s never been done,” Azarenka informed Sky Sports activities’ Karthi Gnanasegaram in March.
“Also, the benefits of disability insurance. It’s a very physical sport. You never know what can happen, and you dedicate your whole life, and things do happen where you can be stranded for a period of time without any financial income.
“So, I think that’s really important to find a way how we can develop those programs and pension plans but a maternity plan is my number one priority.”
