Belinda Bencic is ready to return to professional tennis after almost a year away on maternity leave, and the WTA star revealed which tournament will be the first of her comeback.
Bencic is best known for being an Olympic gold medalist. She achieved this in Tokyo in 2021 (after the games were delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic) by beating Marketa Vondrousova in the final.
The Swiss player also overcame Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Barbora Krejcikova, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova during her run in Japan. Winning a gold medal in singles is the one significant achievement that eluded legendary compatriot Roger Federer.
After a solid season, Bencic stepped away from the sport at the end of 2023. She reached the fourth round of three Grand Slams in the same year for the first time in her career.
Her battle against Swiatek at Wimbledon was the most memorable of those fourth rounds. The world No. 1 had to save two match points to defeat Bencic after a match that featured superb quality from both women.
Other achievements for Bencic in 2023 included winning the Adelaide International and Abu Dhabi Open and being the runner-up to Ons Jabeur on the green clay courts of the Charleston Open.
Bencic announced her pregnancy in November last year and took almost the entire 2024 season off. That meant she could not play at this year's Olympics after what she achieved at the event three years ago.
The 27-year-old gave birth to a daughter named Bella in April. Since then, she has regularly posted photos and videos on Instagram of her home life with Bella, appearing to be happy and content.
During that time, Bencic never hid her desire to return to professional tennis, posting more photos and videos of her training on the court and in the gym in recent weeks to prepare for a comeback after almost a year away.
Bencic has now announced she will return before the 2024 season ends. The eight-time WTA title winner's first tournament is set to be at the ITF W75 event in Hamburg to test where her level is before playing in the Billie Jean King Cup afterward.
“I'm extremely excited to compete in Hamburg and very grateful for the wild card. "The timing of my comeback fits very well. My goal for this year is the Billie Jean King Cup in November [in Biel], and I’m happy to test my level at the Hamburg tournament beforehand.”
The former world No. 4 acknowledged she is not at her physical and technical best yet, which is why getting matches in competitive environments is essential.
"I’m not yet at the absolute peak of my tennis and fitness level, but I feel really good and ready to compete. I want to test myself in a competitive setting to see what we need to work on to start the next season in top form. We also want to see how we can logistically manage everyday life at the tournament with Bella"
Bencic is known as one of the most friendly and good-natured people on the WTA Tour, and she has certainly been missed throughout 2024.
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