US Open 2025: Will Flushing Meadows see only fourth ever mum win Grand Slam and first since 2011?

[ad_1] When Serena Williams confronted Simona Halep within the 2019 Wimbledon closing, she was extensively anticipated to assert a record-equalling twenty fourth main, an eighth Venus Rosewater Dish and with it will have joined one other unique band of gamers.

Victory would have seen her be part of solely Margaret Court docket, Evonne Goolagong and Kim Clijsters in profitable a Grand Slam singles title after turning into a mom.

However Williams didn’t. Her 6-2 6-2 drubbing in 56 minutes shocked Centre Court docket and the tennis world, who a lot fancied the then 37-year-old to win a primary main for the reason that beginning of her daughter, Olympia, in September 2017.

Gamers who've received Grand Slams after turning into mums

Evonne Goolagong Cawley - (Wimbledon 1980)

Margaret Court docket - (Australian Open, French Open and US Open in 1973)

Kim Clijsters - (US Open in 2009, 2010 and Australian Open in 2011)

A 12 months later, Victoria Azarenka defeated Williams en path to reaching the 2020 US Open closing and her first main showpiece for the reason that beginning of her son, Leo, in December 2016.

<img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e0.365dm.com/19/07/768x432/skysports-wimbledon-tennis_4717317.jpg?20190713161352" srcset="https://e0.365dm.com/19/07/384x216/skysports-wimbledon-tennis_4717317.jpg?20190713161352 380w, https://e0.365dm.com/19/07/768x432/skysports-wimbledon-tennis_4717317.jpg?20190713161352 760w, https://e0.365dm.com/19/07/1600x900/skysports-wimbledon-tennis_4717317.jpg?20190713161352 1024w, https://e0.365dm.com/19/07/2048x1152/skysports-wimbledon-tennis_4717317.jpg?20190713161352 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Simona Halep and Serena Williams present their trophies "/> Picture: Simona Halep denied Serena Williams of one other Wimbledon title and first Grand Slam since turning into a mum in 2019 But she bumped into an impressed Naomi Osaka, who received plaudits off the courtroom in addition to on it for her activism within the battle towards racism and police brutality following the homicide of George Floyd.

Williams and Azarenka stay the closest a mum has come to claiming a singles main since Clijsters on the 2011 Australian Open.

Belinda Bencic, who had daughter, Bella, final April 2024, reached the semi-finals of this 12 months’s Wimbledon, whereas Elina Svitolina surprised Iga Swiatek to achieve the final 4 of Wimbledon in 2023, simply 9 months after having daughter Skai, and progressed to this 12 months’s quarters of the Australian and French Open.

There are extra high-profile moms competing on the tour now than ever earlier than as a result of Girls’s Tennis Affiliation’s progressive guidelines round being pregnant, maternity and fertility.

Gamers at the moment are selecting to start out a household throughout their profession, relatively than ready till retirement. It leads us to 1 query. Will this 12 months’s US Open see the primary mum since Clijsters to win a Grand Slam?

Key options of the Girls's Tennis Affiliation's maternity coverage

Paid maternity go away: Eligible gamers obtain as much as 12 months of paid maternity go away.

Fertility remedy grants: The coverage contains monetary help for fertility therapies corresponding to egg freezing and IVF.

Parental go away: Two months of paid go away can be found for non-birthing dad and mom, together with these turning into dad and mom by way of surrogacy or adoption.

Rating safety: Gamers can use their earlier rating to enter tournaments upon their return, with particular guidelines relating to the variety of tournaments and timeframe.

Particular rating rule: The particular rating rule permits gamers to make use of their earlier rating for seeding functions on the first eight WTA tournaments they play upon return.

"I am so prepared for a brand new mum to carry a Grand Slam trophy,” Clijsters - who received three Grand Slams after turning into a mom in 2008 - instructed tennis podcast The Sit-Down earlier this 12 months.

"I am proud seeing so many ladies [with kids] within the draw and seeing the children stroll round and their members of the family within the gamers' restaurant. That is what it is all about."

Sky Sports activities’ pundit and Nice Britain Billie Jean King Cup staff captain Anne Keothavong instructed Sky Sports activities Information: “I believe we are able to have mums who can actually problem the easiest. Belinda Bencic confirmed it at Wimbledon, Elina Svitolina remains to be very aggressive, we noticed Tatjana Maria win Queen’s. I don’t see her as a US Open contender however typically we see extra moms on tour than 10 years in the past, which is sweet.”

It’s a sentiment supported by Annabel Croft, who stated the US Open may present a primary mum winner in 14 years.

"I all the time assume in girls’s tennis, you'll be able to by no means say by no means," the Sky Sports activities Tennis pundit stated.

<img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e0.365dm.com/18/07/768x432/skysports-kim-clijsters-tennis_4361041.jpg?20180713141132" srcset="https://e0.365dm.com/18/07/384x216/skysports-kim-clijsters-tennis_4361041.jpg?20180713141132 380w, https://e0.365dm.com/18/07/768x432/skysports-kim-clijsters-tennis_4361041.jpg?20180713141132 760w, https://e0.365dm.com/18/07/1600x900/skysports-kim-clijsters-tennis_4361041.jpg?20180713141132 1024w, https://e0.365dm.com/18/07/2048x1152/skysports-kim-clijsters-tennis_4361041.jpg?20180713141132 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Kim Clijsters from Belgium and her daughter Jada with her trophy after defeating Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark to win the Women's Final US Open match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center September 13, 2009 in New York"/> Picture: Kim Clijsters received three of her 4 Grand Slams after the beginning of her daughter, together with the 2009 US Open “Have a look at what occurred with Kim Clijsters. Who would ever consider that Kim Clijsters would come again and win slams the way in which she did? In girls’s tennis, there’s no predicting something anymore, in order that’s to not say anyone couldn’t go on the market and win a slam however all of them consider they'll do something towards anybody on any given day.”

Greater than something, each Keothavong and Croft say the dialog of motherhood {and professional} sport is a major dialog to have and spotlight.

“It’s essential that we talk about this [mums on tour] to normalise it,” Keothavong stated. “For ladies to assist different girls and present different girls. Not simply athletes however no matter profession you’re in or no matter work house you’re in, it's doable to have a profession and do one thing for your self after having a baby.

“Having a baby doesn’t imply that your profession is completed and dusted however once more I am going again to, it does require an unbelievable assist system.”

Keothavong noticed first-hand the assist system in place for Bencic whereas watching her third-round conflict towards Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Court docket 18 at Wimbledon.

“I used to be up on the balcony watching Belinda’s match and her associate was pacing up and down with the buggy together with her daughter who I believe was quick asleep.

<img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/768x432/skysports-belinda-bencic-wimbledon_6988423.jpg?20250811191525" srcset="https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/384x216/skysports-belinda-bencic-wimbledon_6988423.jpg?20250811191525 380w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/768x432/skysports-belinda-bencic-wimbledon_6988423.jpg?20250811191525 760w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/1600x900/skysports-belinda-bencic-wimbledon_6988423.jpg?20250811191525 1024w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/2048x1152/skysports-belinda-bencic-wimbledon_6988423.jpg?20250811191525 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Belinda Bencic, seen here with her daughter during practice, reached the semi-finals of this year's Wimbledon"/> Picture: Belinda Bencic, seen right here together with her daughter throughout observe, reached the semi-finals of this 12 months's Wimbledon “She is ready the place she will nonetheless journey with a full-time coach, her dad was there, her husband remains to be her health coach and in a position to be a arms on dad on the highway which is an unbelievable place to be in and as inspiring as it's, it’s most likely not the fact for most girls."

When Naomi Osaka returned to the tour in January final 12 months after a 15-month absence following the beginning of her daughter Shai, she spoke about how she was “accomplished” as an individual.

"To know there is a tiny human who loves me it doesn't matter what, and my days simply gentle up due to her, that sort of completes me as an individual as nicely,” she stated earlier this 12 months.

Osaka is regularly beginning to discover kind within the run-up to the US Open, reaching her first WTA closing since 2022 in Montreal, the place she misplaced to rising star, 18-year-old Victoria Mboko. Flushing Meadows is a slam Osaka all is aware of nicely, having received it twice in 2018 and 2020.

“I’ve seen enormous modifications in her [since returning to the tour after the birth of her daughter in July 2023],” Croft stated.

<img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/768x432/skysports-naomi-osaka-victoria-mboko_6988428.jpg?20250811191806" srcset="https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/384x216/skysports-naomi-osaka-victoria-mboko_6988428.jpg?20250811191806 380w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/768x432/skysports-naomi-osaka-victoria-mboko_6988428.jpg?20250811191806 760w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/1600x900/skysports-naomi-osaka-victoria-mboko_6988428.jpg?20250811191806 1024w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/2048x1152/skysports-naomi-osaka-victoria-mboko_6988428.jpg?20250811191806 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Naomi Osaka reached her first WTA final since 2022 but lost in Montreal to Victoria Mboko"/> Picture: Naomi Osaka reached her first WTA closing since 2022 however misplaced in Montreal to Victoria Mboko “I bear in mind interviewing Naomi when she was so shy, she couldn’t carry her head up, couldn’t say greater than two phrases, however now she’s sort of like a spokesperson, she has extra energy and confidence. Being a mum has given her enormous depth to her character and I’ve seen huge modifications in her.”

That ‘greater image’ mentality for gamers returning after maternity can actually generally work in gamers’ favour by permitting them to remain grounded and disconnect from the sport when wanted, as proven by Bencic’s run at Wimbledon.

“It offers gamers perspective on life and what's really actually essential,” Keothavong added.

Main mums on WTA Tour

Victoria Azarenka - Had her son Leo in 2016 and has one WTA 1000 title - Cincinnati in 2020 and reached 2020 US Open closing since.

Elina Svitolina - Since having her daughter Skaï in October 2022, Svitolina has received a WTA 500 title at Internationaux de Strasbourg in Could 2023, reached semi-finals of Wimbledon (2023) and quarter-finals of French Open (2023, 2025) and Australian Open (2025).

Belinda Bencic - For the reason that beginning of daughter Ella in April 2024, Bencic has received a WTA 500 title in Abu Dhabi in February 2025. Ella joined her mum for the trophy presentation. The Swiss reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon this 12 months.

Tatjana Maria - Has received three WTA singles titles for the reason that beginning of daughters Charlotte (2013) and Cecilia (2021) together with back-to-back titles on the WTA 250 occasion in Copa Colsanitas in 2022 and 2023 and the WTA 500 occasion at Queen's Membership this summer time. Her finest Grand Slam exhibiting since youngsters was a 2022 run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Naomi Osaka - Since beginning of daughter Shai in July 2023, Osaka has received one title, a WTA 125 occasion in France again in Could this 12 months.

“It doesn’t imply you’re any much less formidable than what you had been earlier than, you simply have a special perspective on it, I believe it’s totally different for various folks.

“Belinda spoke about being in the identical room as her daughter [during Wimbledon] and that when she awakened within the night time, she was up and possibly had some assist as nicely. However she feels like she was actually hands-on, and has been a hands-on mom on the highway.

“Elina Svitolina, actually when she got here again inside six months of getting her first youngster, she left her daughter together with her dad and mom, so she may give attention to her tennis. It’s totally different and I don’t assume what fits one individual essentially fits one other.”

Croft added: “Elina Svitolina has been unbelievably constant since she’s returned. I’ve seen enormous modifications in her and the way in which she is on the courtroom. She was all the time a powerful character and really gritty competitor but it surely appears much more so since having her child. She appears a lot happier in herself.”

<img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/768x432/skysports-elina-svitolina-svitolina_6988426.jpg?20250811191644" srcset="https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/384x216/skysports-elina-svitolina-svitolina_6988426.jpg?20250811191644 380w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/768x432/skysports-elina-svitolina-svitolina_6988426.jpg?20250811191644 760w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/1600x900/skysports-elina-svitolina-svitolina_6988426.jpg?20250811191644 1024w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/2048x1152/skysports-elina-svitolina-svitolina_6988426.jpg?20250811191644 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Elina Svitolina has reached the quarter-finals of two Grand Slams this year, the French and Australian Open"/> Picture: Elina Svitolina has reached the quarter-finals of two Grand Slams this 12 months, the French and Australian Open When Maria received Queen’s Membership this summer time, watching each victory from her teaching nook was eldest daughter Charlotte, now 11, actively engaged in each shot, whereas youngest daughter, four-year-old Cecilia, sat contently at the back of a buggy amusing herself.

“Charlotte has principally grown up on the tennis tour,” Keothavong added. “She’s successfully being homeschooled on the highway which to some may appear actually dysfunctional and arduous to grasp however for them, it’s simply the norm.

<img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/768x432/skysports-tatjana-maria-queens-club_6988532.jpg?20250811225230" srcset="https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/384x216/skysports-tatjana-maria-queens-club_6988532.jpg?20250811225230 380w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/768x432/skysports-tatjana-maria-queens-club_6988532.jpg?20250811225230 760w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/1600x900/skysports-tatjana-maria-queens-club_6988532.jpg?20250811225230 1024w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/08/2048x1152/skysports-tatjana-maria-queens-club_6988532.jpg?20250811225230 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Tatjana Maria celebrates her Queen's title with her two daughters and her coach, who is also her husband"/> Picture: Tatjana Maria celebrates her Queen's title this summer time together with her two daughters and her coach, who can be her husband “There’s no proper or improper, and Tatjana and her husband [who is also her coach Charles-Edouard Maria] don’t make any secret in regards to the reality they need her to be a tennis participant.

“In the end it’s good that girls have the selection and that’s an important factor, you'll be able to determine what's best for you and your loved ones and do it within the confidence that you just’re going to be supported and go to tournaments now about having youngsters round and facilitating all the pieces that can assist you.”