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I didn’t even think I’d be here. I’m really confident about getting back to where I was and even better. I felt really inspired and brave enough to have a baby mid-career because a lot of other athletes and tennis players have done it before. It’s not like this is not possible. Everyone showed that it’s possible, and they got back to the same level.
I cite the legendary American athlete Allyson Felix, who continued to win Olympic medals and break world records after giving birth, and namechecking Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, and less-heralded tennis players such as Stefanie Voegele and Yanina Wickmayer as inspirations. I had conversations about the realities of coming back with Kerber, who retired at the Paris Olympics in July 2024 and has discussed balancing tennis and childcare with Swiss compatriot Roger Federer.
It felt like it was right for us at this moment… Taylor Townsend believes that the normalization of having children while on tour will help effect change. “Things can definitely move quicker now because there are a lot more moms on tour,” Townsend said. “I think we’re going to see more as the years go on.
For Bencic, the beginning of her return to the court was far from the start of her journey back. Just eight weeks after giving birth to Bella, Bencic started doing pelvic floor and core stability exercises. Gradually she started trying to rebuild some of her muscle and playing a bit of tennis just in the forecourt. After about four months, she felt like she could start hitting again, but she says that it’s “your reactions” that take the longest to come back into focus. “On the return, your eyes are basically trained by playing every day and seeing the ball,” she explains. “This is not talent. You don’t have that, you have to train it.”
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