When Serena Williams faced Simona Halep in the 2019 Wimbledon final, she was widely expected to claim a record-equalling 24th major, an eighth Venus Rosewater Dish and with it would have joined another exclusive band of players.<\/p>\n
Victory would have seen her join only Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong and Kim Clijsters in winning a Grand Slam singles title after becoming a mother.<\/p>\n
But Williams didn\u2019t. Her 6-2 6-2 drubbing in 56 minutes shocked Centre Court and the tennis world, who much fancied the then 37-year-old to win a first major since the birth of her daughter, Olympia, in September 2017.<\/p>\n
Players who have won Grand Slams after becoming mums<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
Evonne Goolagong Cawley – (Wimbledon 1980)<\/p>\n
Margaret Court – (Australian Open, French Open and US Open in 1973)<\/p>\n
Kim Clijsters – (US Open in 2009, 2010 and Australian Open in 2011)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
A year later, Victoria Azarenka defeated Williams en route to reaching the 2020 US Open final and her first major showpiece since the birth of her son, Leo, in December 2016.<\/p>\n
\n Simona Halep denied Serena Williams of another Wimbledon title and first Grand Slam since becoming a mum in 2019
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Yet she ran into an inspired Naomi Osaka, who won plaudits off the court as well as on it for her activism in the fight against racism and police brutality following the murder of George Floyd.<\/p>\n
Williams and Azarenka remain the closest a mum has come to claiming a singles major since Clijsters at the 2011 Australian Open.<\/p>\n
Belinda Bencic, who had daughter, Bella, last April 2024, reached the semi-finals of this year\u2019s Wimbledon, while Elina Svitolina stunned Iga Swiatek to reach the last four of Wimbledon in 2023, just nine months after having daughter Skai, and progressed to this year\u2019s quarters of the Australian and French Open.<\/p>\n
There are more high-profile mothers competing on the tour now than ever before due to the Women\u2019s Tennis Association\u2019s progressive rules around pregnancy, maternity and fertility.<\/p>\n
Players are now choosing to start a family during their career, rather than waiting until retirement. It leads us to one question. Will this year\u2019s US Open see the first mum since Clijsters to win a Grand Slam?<\/p>\n
Key features of the Women’s Tennis Association’s maternity policy<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
Paid maternity leave: Eligible players receive up to 12 months of paid maternity leave. <\/p>\n
Fertility treatment grants: The policy includes financial assistance for fertility treatments such as egg freezing and IVF. <\/p>\n
Parental leave: Two months of paid leave are available for non-birthing parents, including those becoming parents through surrogacy or adoption. <\/p>\n
Ranking protection: Players can use their previous ranking to enter tournaments upon their return, with specific rules regarding the number of tournaments and time frame. <\/p>\n
Special ranking rule: The special ranking rule allows players to use their previous ranking for seeding purposes at the first eight WTA tournaments they play upon return.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
“I’m so ready for a new mum to hold a Grand Slam trophy,\u201d Clijsters – who won three Grand Slams after becoming a mother in 2008 – told tennis podcast The Sit-Down<\/em> earlier this year.<\/p>\n “I’m proud seeing so many women [with kids] in the draw and seeing the kids walk around and their family members in the players’ restaurant. That’s what it’s all about.”<\/p>\n Sky Sports\u2019 pundit and Great Britain Billie Jean King Cup team captain Anne Keothavong told Sky Sports News<\/em>: \u201cI think we can have mums who can really challenge the very best. Belinda Bencic showed it at Wimbledon, Elina Svitolina is still very competitive, we saw Tatjana Maria win Queen\u2019s. I don\u2019t see her as a US Open contender but generally we see more mothers on tour than 10 years ago, which is good.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a sentiment supported by Annabel Croft, who said the US Open could provide a first mum winner in 14 years.<\/p>\n “I always think in women\u2019s tennis, you can never say never,” the Sky Sports Tennis pundit said.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at what happened with Kim Clijsters. Who would ever believe that Kim Clijsters would come back and win slams the way she did? In women\u2019s tennis, there\u2019s no predicting anything anymore, so that\u2019s not to say somebody couldn\u2019t go out there and win a slam but they all believe they can do anything against anyone on any given day.\u201d<\/p>\n More than anything, both Keothavong and Croft say the conversation of motherhood and professional sport is a significant conversation to have and highlight.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important that we discuss this [mums on tour] to normalise it,\u201d Keothavong said. \u201cFor women to help other women and show other women. Not just athletes but whatever career you\u2019re in or whatever work space you\u2019re in, it is possible to have a career and do something for yourself after having a child.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving a child doesn\u2019t mean that your career is done and dusted but again I go back to, it does require an unbelievable support system.\u201d<\/p>\n Keothavong saw first-hand the support system in place for Bencic while watching her third-round clash against Italy\u2019s Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Court 18 at Wimbledon.<\/p>\n \u201cI was up on the balcony watching Belinda\u2019s match and her partner was pacing up and down with the buggy with her daughter who I think was fast asleep.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is in a position where she can still travel with a full-time coach, her dad was there, her husband is still her fitness trainer and able to be a hands on dad on the road which is an unbelievable position to be in and as inspiring as it is, it\u2019s probably not the reality for most women.”<\/p>\n When Naomi Osaka returned to the tour in January last year after a 15-month absence following the birth of her daughter Shai, she spoke about how she was \u201ccompleted\u201d as a person.<\/p>\n “To know there’s a tiny human who loves me no matter what, and my days just light up because of her, that kind of completes me as a person as well,\u201d she said earlier this year.<\/p>\n Osaka is gradually starting to find form in the run-up to the US Open, reaching her first WTA final since 2022 in Montreal, where she lost to rising star, 18-year-old Victoria Mboko. Flushing Meadows is a slam Osaka all knows well, having won it twice in 2018 and 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen huge changes in her [since returning to the tour after the birth of her daughter in July 2023],\u201d Croft said.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember interviewing Naomi when she was so shy, she couldn\u2019t lift her head up, couldn\u2019t say more than two words, but now she\u2019s kind of like a spokesperson, she has more strength and confidence. Being a mum has given her huge depth to her character and I\u2019ve seen massive changes in her.\u201d<\/p>\n That \u2018bigger picture\u2019 mentality for players returning after maternity can certainly sometimes work in players\u2019 favour by allowing them to stay grounded and disconnect from the game when needed, as shown by Bencic\u2019s run at Wimbledon.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives players perspective on life and what is actually really important,\u201d Keothavong added.<\/p>\n Victoria Azarenka – Elina Svitolina – Belinda Bencic – Tatjana Maria – Naomi Osaka – \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re any less ambitious than what you were before, you just have a different perspective on it, I think it\u2019s different for different people.<\/p>\n \u201cBelinda spoke about being in the same room as her daughter [during Wimbledon] and that when she woke up in the night, she was up and probably had some support as well. But she sounds like she was really hands-on, and has been a hands-on mother on the road.<\/p>\n \u201cElina Svitolina, certainly when she came back within six months of having her first child, she left her daughter with her parents, so she could focus on her tennis. It\u2019s different and I don\u2019t think what suits one person necessarily suits another.\u201d<\/p>\n Croft added: \u201cElina Svitolina has been unbelievably consistent since she\u2019s returned. I\u2019ve seen huge changes in her and the way she is on the court. She was always a strong character and very gritty competitor but it seems even more so since having her baby. She seems so much happier in herself.\u201d<\/p>\n When Maria won Queen\u2019s Club this summer, watching every victory from her coaching corner was eldest daughter Charlotte, now 11, actively engaged in every shot, while youngest daughter, four-year-old Cecilia, sat contently in the back of a buggy amusing herself.<\/p>\n \u201cCharlotte has basically grown up on the tennis tour,\u201d Keothavong added. \u201cShe\u2019s effectively being homeschooled on the road which to some might seem really dysfunctional and hard to comprehend but for them, it\u2019s just the norm.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no right or wrong, and Tatjana and her husband [who is also her coach Charles-Edouard Maria] don\u2019t make any secret about the fact they want her to be a tennis player.<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately it\u2019s brilliant that women have the choice and that\u2019s the most important thing, you can decide what is right for you and your family and do it in the confidence that you\u2019re going to be supported and go to tournaments now about having children around and facilitating everything to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n The US Open might come too soon for one of the mums on tour to make an historic breakthrough but they are certainly knocking on the door.<\/p>\n Watch the US Open live on Sky Sports Tennis, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app from August 24<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Kim](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/18\/07\/768x432\/skysports-kim-clijsters-tennis_4361041.jpg\")
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\n Kim Clijsters won three of her four Grand Slams after the birth of her daughter, including the 2009 US Open
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\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"Belinda](\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/25\/08\/768x432\/skysports-belinda-bencic-wimbledon_6988423.jpg\")
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\n Belinda Bencic, seen here with her daughter during practice, reached the semi-finals of this year’s Wimbledon
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\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"Naomi](\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/25\/08\/768x432\/skysports-naomi-osaka-victoria-mboko_6988428.jpg\")
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\n Naomi Osaka reached her first WTA final since 2022 but lost in Montreal to Victoria Mboko
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\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nLeading mums on WTA Tour<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
\nHad her son Leo in 2016 and has one WTA 1000 title – Cincinnati in 2020 and reached 2020 US Open final since.\n<\/p>\n
\nSince having her daughter Ska\u00ef in October 2022, Svitolina has won a WTA 500 title at Internationaux de Strasbourg in May 2023, reached semi-finals of Wimbledon (2023) and quarter-finals of French Open (2023, 2025) and Australian Open (2025).<\/p>\n
\nSince the birth of daughter Ella in April 2024, Bencic has won a WTA 500 title in Abu Dhabi in February 2025. Ella joined her mum for the trophy presentation. The Swiss reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon this year.<\/p>\n
\nHas won three WTA singles titles since the birth of daughters Charlotte (2013) and Cecilia (2021) including back-to-back titles at the WTA 250 event in Copa Colsanitas in 2022 and 2023 and the WTA 500 event at Queen’s Club this summer. Her best Grand Slam showing since children was a 2022 run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.<\/p>\n
\nSince birth of daughter Shai in July 2023, Osaka has won one title, a WTA 125 event in France back in May this year. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Elina](\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/25\/08\/768x432\/skysports-elina-svitolina-svitolina_6988426.jpg\")
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\n Elina Svitolina has reached the quarter-finals of two Grand Slams this year, the French and Australian Open
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\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"Tatjana](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/e0.365dm.com\/25\/08\/768x432\/skysports-tatjana-maria-queens-club_6988532.jpg\")
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\n Tatjana Maria celebrates her Queen’s title this summer with her two daughters and her coach, who is also her husband
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