Belinda Bencic is heaping praise on the WTA for introducing paid maternity leave as the 28-year-old says this move will be a major help for those who want to achieve family goals, all while being a pro tennis player.
In collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the WTA announced that players on maternity leave will be paid for up to 12 months. Also, players will be able to seek funds for fertility treatments.
All of that will be fully financially supported by PIF, but players will have to meet some criteria and play a minimum number of tournaments over a certain period. However, when the news dropped, there were already more than 320 players eligible for paid maternity leave.
Before Bencic announced her pregnancy at 26 in late 2023, she decided to focus on welcoming her first child, even if that meant missing a season. But some other players have been reluctant to make that move, both due to financial but also tennis reasons.
Bencic: It makes the decision for many players much easier
“It give the opportunity to all the players to not have to choose, to wait until they finish their career [to give birth], and especially for lower-ranked players that really can’t afford to take a year and a half off … it makes the decision for many players much easier,” the 28-year-old Swiss tennis star said on Tennis Channel.
“I hope we can lead in that way, and pave the way for other sports, where the athletes have the same kind of dilemma, problem, of trying to have a family and finishing their careers.”
As you probably know, Bencic has had an impressive post-pregnancy comeback so far as she is 16/4 this year and won her first WTA title as a mom in Abu Dhabi last month.
Also, she has been great in Indian Wells so far, beating Tatjana Maria, Amanda Anisimova and Diana Shnaider to set up a round-of-16 showdown versus Coco Gauff.
Tennis World USA