Dubai: Former US Open champion Samantha Stosur is the latest to join the club of active mothers on the WTA Tour after announcing the birth of her daughter Genevieve with partner Liz.
Stosur, who won the 2011 US Open singles following a memorable battle against Serena Williams, announced that she and partner Liz became mothers during the coronavirus break.
The Goldcoast native, who turned 36 in March and with a current ranking of No. 97 on the WTA Tour, made the announcement via an Instagram post on Monday.
“Life in lockdown during coronavirus has been challenging in many ways but personally it’s been one of the most exciting and happy times of my life. On the 16th of June, my partner Liz gave birth to our beautiful little girl, Genevieve. It has been a whirlwind time but we could not imagine life without her now,” Stosur wrote.
“Mum and Evie are doing well and it’s so amazing to be home with them both. We are absolutely in love with this little bundle and rolling with the happy chaos. We can’t wait for what’s to come and to watch little Evie grow up. Although not too quickly we hope!”
Stosur, who turned professional in 1999, has enjoyed a career that has seen her enjoy success in both the singles and doubles. Along with winning the singles title in New York nine years ago, she also hit a high of WTA World No. 4 in the singles rankings in February 2011.
The Australian is also a former world No. 1 in doubles, a ranking which she held for 61 weeks. She also holds the distinct record of being the top-ranked Australian singles player for 452 consecutive weeks between October 2008 to June 2017.
Stosur has won a combined total of 38 titles on the WTA Tour - nine in singles, 26 in doubles and three in mixed doubles along with a cumulative career prize fund of more than $19 million (Dh69.7 million).
In defeating Serena in that epic final in 2011, Stosur became the first Australian woman since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980 to win a Grand Slam singles tournament. Her six other Grand Slam successes include the 2005 US Open, 2006 French Open and the 2019 Australian Open in the women’s doubles, along with the 2005 Australian Open, the 2008 and 2014 Wimbledon mixed doubles.
Stosur joins some of the active mums on the WTA Tour, including Serena Williams (daughter Olympia), Victoria Azarenka (son Leo), Sania Mirza (son Izhaan), Many Minella (daughter Emma Lina), Kim Clijsters (daughter Jada and sons Jack and Blake), Kateryna Bondarenko (daughters Karin and Eva), Vera Zvonareva (daughter Evelina), Evgeniya Rodina (daughter Anna) and Patricia Maria Tig (daughter Sofia).
