Wimbledon: The Wimbledon championships are tough enough, but new mothers face unexpected challenges, as one former world No. 1 player has discovered during this year’s tournament.
As Serena Williams awaits the birth of her first child, the experience of unseeded Belarussian player Victoria Azarenka, 27, who gave birth on 19 December to her son Leo, is proof of the difficulties players with children can experience. Azarenka said that her match against American player CiCi Bellis, 18, forced her to hang around waiting all day, which was especially challenging as the mother of a six-month-old.
She eventually started playing on the No.1 court at 7.13 pm, at the end of the day’s play, which meant her game did not finish until around 9pm. Asked what it was like not knowing when she was due to play, she smiled: “It is unusual, you know. I had to be here the whole day, which, for a new mum, is a little tough. Hopefully, I won’t play like this again.” Azarenka, who is ranked 683rd in the world, was playing for the third time since giving birth. She is no stranger to Wimbledon, having reached the semi-finals at the All England Club in 2011 and 2012, losing to eventual champions Petra Kvitova and Serena Williams.
She stepped back from tennis after last year’s French Open. Six weeks after giving birth, she was back in training. Azarenka did not bring her son to Wimbledon with her on the day of her match — he was cared for away from the grounds.
“As I said, it’s tough to know what time I was going to play, and this is way past his bedtime, so I wouldn’t do that to him,” she said, after dispatching Bellis 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Azarenka, who is originally from Minsk and now lives in Monte Carlo, Monaco, reached the No. 1 ranking in 2012. She is one of the few elite female tennis players who have had a child to remain on the professional circuit. Serena Williams will be the most high-profile to join the group.
Mandy Minella, 31, from Luxembourg, revealed after losing to Italian Francesca Schiavone, 37, on Monday, that she is four-and-a-half months pregnant with her first child, by her coach Tim Sommer, who she married in October 2014.
Asked whether women can balance motherhood with tennis, Azarenka replied: “It is possible. Even before me, we had players do this — you know, like Kim Clijsters [mother-of-three] and a lot of girls who are maybe less ranked so their story isn’t as big.
“One of my biggest inspirations was [beach volleyball player] Kerri Walsh, who came back after three kids and was still playing for a gold medal. Nothing is impossible: for women, that’s definitely true,” she said.
— Guardian News & Media Limited
