Azarenka And Osaka Advocate For 'Life-Changing' Maternity Pay For Returning Mothers

In the past, WTA players with motherhood ambitions had to either wait until retirement to honor such obligations or risk curtailing their careers at the peak of their game.

This explains why only three mothers have won a Grand Slam in the 50 years since the WTA was formed. These are Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Kim Clijsters. The Belgian remains the last woman to achieve this feat, over a decade ago.

Players like Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka have come close in recent years but lost in the final. But thanks to recent changes in the WTA rulebook, it looks like we might see a returning mother win a Grand Slam in the near future.

In 2019, the WTA, in conjunction with the Players' Council and subsequent approval from the Board of Directors, amended the Special Ranking rule (SR) to include players who wish to take a maternity break lasting six months or longer (but resume within three years) to freeze their ranking.

Read also

'Don't Like To Hear You': Gauff Reveals Interesting Pre-Match Ritual

Upon returning to the tour, these players are entitled to enter up to 12 WTA events with an SR within a three-year period, including Grand Slam tournaments. This has eased the comeback process that some of these players go through.

In the past few years, players like Azarenka, Tatjana Maria, Naomi Osaka, and Elina Svitolina have each fulfilled motherhood goals and then returned to compete at the tour level. Soon-to-be mothers Belinda Bencic and Petra Kvitova are also looking to follow suit.

But now, Azarenka and Osaka believe it is high time that the women's governing body introduced maternity pay. In an interview with the BBC conducted in Brisbane at the start of the year, two-time Grand Slam champion Azarenka said the issue of financial security for such players would be a "huge win."

Japanese star Osaka rejoined the WTA tour in Brisbane in January, almost seven months after giving birth to her first child, daughter Shai. The 26-year-old backed Azarenka, stating that it would be a "life-changing" move, especially for women who want to bear a child but fear of throwing away a career.

The WTA has not issued any comment regarding this matter, although CEO Steve Simon acknowledged that the issue is scheduled for review in a letter addressed to the players at the 2023 WTA Finals.

Read also

Sakkari Issues Verdict On Her New Coaching Partnership With Pegula's Former Coach