By Ros Satar, Britwatch Sports at Wimbledon
- Belinda Bencic is the latest in a line of female players who have made it to the last four of Wimbledon
- It has been 45 years since Evonne Cawley lifted the title after becoming a mother
LONDON, ENGLAND – Belinda Bencic joins an elite group of women who have made it to the last four of a Grand Slam, returning after the birth of a child.
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Players returning to the women’s tour after the birth of their children is nothing new, dating back to before the Open Era. But the WTA has worked harder to make it easier for players to return, as seen with a number of players in recent years.
Wimbledon mums
Belinda Bencic is following in the most recent footsteps of Elina Svitolina (2023) and Tatjana Maria (2022), to reach the semi-final.
Bencic won junior Wimbledon, beating Taylor Townsend, herself a winner at Wimbledon since becoming a mother, winning the doubles title in 2024 with Katerina Siniakova.
In a battle of the former junor girls’ champions, if Bencic beats Iga Swiatek in the second semi-final, she will become the first mother since Serena Williams to contest the final. Williams was stopped twice at Wimbledon as she searched for that elusive 24th Grand Slam title (as well as falling at the US Open to Naomi Osaka who is now another returning mother to the tour, and to Bianca Andreescu the following year).
Perspective and challenges
Bencic was reminded of the fact it is 45 years since a mother won the Ladies Singles title, but as with many mothers, she has been able to find a different perspective while preparing for matches.
“I feel like I’m still focused. It’s just different. I think it’s just really natural at this point. [Her daughter Bella is] not something that takes away my focus.
“Sometimes I think it’s even better when I’m not too focused. I don’t feel so nervous before the match, and I’m just doing what I have to do.
“It’s not something that is calculated, I would say. It’s just very natural. I am able to switch on when I’m on the court and be focused.”
Naomi Broady is in the Ladies Invitation Doubles and credited her twins with giving her patience, and was intrigued to see if that changed her demeanour on court.
“I think I’m more excited to play now I’m a mum. I always said I would love to play again with my newfound level of patience because I have twin toddlers.
“It’s very much like emotionally regulating yourself more than them when they’re tantruming or having a difficult moment.
“And I obviously didn’t have much patience when I used to play. So I’m very excited to see if that’s going to change today or if I’m just going to revert back to my tennis brain and lose all the patience that I’ve developed now in the last two years.”
She is joined in the line-up by former British No. 1 Johanna Konta who sees this time of year as comforting, especially having given birth to a second child in February.
“I look forward to this because, I mean, I’m not in the tennis sphere outside of these two weeks right now.
“I had a baby in February, so I have two children now, thank you. So, I’m very much in the trenches of motherhood, so, you know, this is fun. It’s completely different.
“It also feels a little bit like coming home for me. I get to see my colleagues, my former colleagues. It feels very nostalgic and very comforting.”
The Ladies Singles semi-finals take place on Thursday 10 July.
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