Belinda Bencic recently made a return to the tennis court, and she opened up about her decision to come back.
The Swiss player, who has Slovak parents and partner, Martin Hromkovic, was one of the best players on the WTA Tour before she announced her pregnancy in 2023.
In 2021, she won the Olympic gold medal, and she competed at the WTA Finals in 2019, reaching the semi-finals before being forced to retire. She finished in the Top 20 almost every season since 2019, showing how consistent a player she has been.
But in 2023, her career completely changed as she and her partner decided to welcome their first baby. At 27, it was a 'conscious' decision, as Bencic explained when speaking to Tennis Magazin.
Since then, she has already been able to return to the tennis courts, competing in three different tournaments. First, she played at the W75 event in Hamburg, Germany, where she won one match and lost the other one.
The 27-year-old then played at another W75 event in Petange, Luxembourg, where she won two matches before withdrawing. She also helped Switzerland to beat Serbia in the Billie Jean King Cup Play-Offs, beating Lola Radivojevic easily 6-2, 6-2.
Now, she opened up about her career and how her life changed in an interview with Tennis Magazin, explaining that she started training eight weeks after giving birth, which is a safe time to do so.
"About eight weeks after the birth, I started to move around a bit and do sports again, which is allowed. At first, it was very slow, and then suddenly, it started very quickly."
"It was as if my muscle memory knew what it was doing again. I have to say that I don't feel in top shape yet, but I'm surprised myself that I'm playing in a tournament again so quickly."
Naturally, some would choose not to return to the sport after giving birth. The reason for that decision would be obvious. As a new mother, Bencic certainly wants to spend as much time as possible with her daughter, Bella.
However, the Swiss player explained that she sacrificed too much for her tennis career to just give it up at one point. In the remaining years, she wants to get the most out of it, which is why she chose to return to the courts so quickly.
"I worked for so long, trained my whole childhood, and sacrificed a lot for my career. That's why I just want to make the most of it and not stop now. Maybe I'll regret it later."
"I want to get everything out of it that I can. I'm only 27 and have many good years ahead of me, which is why it was a no-brainer for me to come back. It was a conscious decision to start a family now."
Seeing other players who returned to the sport inspired Bencic. The likes of Angelique Kerber, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Tatjana Maria, and Elina Svitolina have also shown that it was possible, and Bencic followed in their footpaths.
"Of course, it inspired me a lot to see other mothers who managed to come back and play at the same level. Other athletes too, not just tennis players."
Bencic's comeback will continue at the 2025 United Cup, where she will represent Switzerland. She is set to fly to Australia on December 21st, playing her first match on December 28th against Diane Parry from France before taking on Jasmine Paolini from Italy the day after.
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