Women’s Tennis Players Getting Parental Benefits, Paid Maternal Leave

Victoria Azarenka

Victoria Azarenka is a notable figure in professional women’s tennis, winning the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013 in addition to scoring two Olympic medals.

Azarenka and her former boyfriend, Billy McKeague, welcomed a son named Leo in 2016. She announced her pregnancy with an X post that July, saying she was “truly inspired by female athletes who return to the very top of their sport after having children, and I plan to do exactly that.”

She returned to the court in 2017 and won her first match back, according to BBC. Two years later, the Belarusian athlete told the outlet that she thought getting pregnant would end her career.

“I was scared, it wasn’t easy,” she told the outlet. “I knew I was going to come back, but my first thought was, ‘Oh my god, I’m never going to play tennis again.'”

However, said she felt “stronger” after giving birth.

“I’m sure a lot of women won’t be able to relate to me, but I felt so much better after (the pregnancy),” she said. “I felt so much stronger physically, and my body became so much better. I felt like my body finally matured into being a woman.”

Azarenka has publicly pushed for parental benefits for Women’s Tennis Association players. She and Serena Williams were among those who campaigned to protect the rankings of players who go on maternity leave. The association updated its policies in 2019 about rankings and maternity leave.

She later advocated for maternity pay for Women’s Tennis Association members in a 2024 interview with BBC Sports.

“There’s a lot more that has to change, and I hope that we are on the right track to do it,” Azarenka told the outlet. “I think the important part is to change the financial part of maternity leave. I think that would be a huge win for women in general, so I hope we find the resources to be able to do that. I think that would be incredible.”

Azarenka said players with lower rankings could benefit from such a policy.

“I have, I’m guessing, more financial security than some players who may be outside the top 100 and maybe have the same desires and ambitions to have a child and continue to do their job,” she said.