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.
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.
But Williams didn’t. 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.
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.
Simona Halep denied Serena Williams of another Wimbledon title and first Grand Slam since becoming a mum in 2019
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.
Williams and Azarenka remain the closest a mum has come to claiming a singles major since Clijsters at the 2011 Australian Open.
Belinda Bencic, who had daughter, Bella, last April 2024, reached the semi-finals of this year’s 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’s quarters of the Australian and French Open.
There are more high-profile mothers competing on the tour now than ever before due to the Women’s Tennis Association’s progressive rules around pregnancy, maternity and fertility.
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’s US Open see the first mum since Clijsters to win a Grand Slam?
“I’m so ready for a new mum to hold a Grand Slam trophy,” Clijsters – who won three Grand Slams after becoming a mother in 2008 – told tennis podcast The Sit-Down earlier this year.
“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.”
Sky Sports’ pundit and Great Britain Billie Jean King Cup team captain Anne Keothavong told Sky Sports News: “I 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’s. I don’t see her as a US Open contender but generally we see more mothers on tour than 10 years ago, which is good.”
It’s a sentiment supported by Annabel Croft, who said the US Open could provide a first mum winner in 14 years.
“I always think in women’s tennis, you can never say never,” the Sky Sports Tennis pundit said.
Kim Clijsters won three of her four Grand Slams after the birth of her daughter, including the 2009 US Open
“Look 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’s tennis, there’s no predicting anything anymore, so that’s not to say somebody couldn’t go out there and win a slam but they all believe they can do anything against anyone on any given day.”
More than anything, both Keothavong and Croft say the conversation of motherhood and professional sport is a significant conversation to have and highlight.
“It’s important that we discuss this [mums on tour] to normalise it,” Keothavong said. “For women to help other women and show other women. Not just athletes but whatever career you’re in or whatever work space you’re in, it is possible to have a career and do something for yourself after having a child.
“Having a child doesn’t mean that your career is done and dusted but again I go back to, it does require an unbelievable support system.”
Keothavong saw first-hand the support system in place for Bencic while watching her third-round clash against Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Court 18 at Wimbledon.
“I was up on the balcony watching Belinda’s match and her partner was pacing up and down with the buggy with her daughter who I think was fast asleep.
Belinda Bencic, seen here with her daughter during practice, reached the semi-finals of this year’s Wimbledon
“She 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’s probably not the reality for most women.”
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 “completed” as a person.
“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,” she said earlier this year.
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.
“I’ve seen huge changes in her [since returning to the tour after the birth of her daughter in July 2023],” Croft said.
Naomi Osaka reached her first WTA final since 2022 but lost in Montreal to Victoria Mboko
“I remember interviewing Naomi when she was so shy, she couldn’t lift her head up, couldn’t say more than two words, but now she’s kind of like a spokesperson, she has more strength and confidence. Being a mum has given her huge depth to her character and I’ve seen massive changes in her.”
That ‘bigger picture’ mentality for players returning after maternity can certainly sometimes work in players’ favour by allowing them to stay grounded and disconnect from the game when needed, as shown by Bencic’s run at Wimbledon.
“It gives players perspective on life and what is actually really important,” Keothavong added.
“It doesn’t mean you’re any less ambitious than what you were before, you just have a different perspective on it, I think it’s different for different people.
“Belinda 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.
“Elina 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’s different and I don’t think what suits one person necessarily suits another.”
Croft added: “Elina Svitolina has been unbelievably consistent since she’s returned. I’ve 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.”
Elina Svitolina has reached the quarter-finals of two Grand Slams this year, the French and Australian Open
When Maria won Queen’s 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.
“Charlotte has basically grown up on the tennis tour,” Keothavong added. “She’s effectively being homeschooled on the road which to some might seem really dysfunctional and hard to comprehend but for them, it’s just the norm.
Tatjana Maria celebrates her Queen’s title this summer with her two daughters and her coach, who is also her husband
“There’s no right or wrong, and Tatjana and her husband [who is also her coach Charles-Edouard Maria] don’t make any secret about the fact they want her to be a tennis player.
“Ultimately it’s brilliant that women have the choice and that’s the most important thing, you can decide what is right for you and your family and do it in the confidence that you’re going to be supported and go to tournaments now about having children around and facilitating everything to help you.”
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.
Watch the US Open live on Sky Sports Tennis, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app from August 24