Victoria Azarenka speaks out, aims to make WTA Tour more family-friendly
WIMBLEDON, England — One of the biggest revisions that could be on tap for the women’s WTA Tour in the near future is making children’s nurseries a mandatory requirement at every tournament.
The steady influx of players choosing to combine motherhood with their lives as top-rated pros will make childcare services a popular commodity. The men’s ATP Tour already provides nursery facilities since many of their players travel with families.
The latest player to join the family crowd is two-time Australian Open champ Victoria Azarenka, who with six-month-old son, Leo, in tow, reached the Wimbledon third round via an impressive 6-3, 6-3 upset of 15th seed Elena Vesnina of Russia on Wednesday. The Belarus native is at Wimbledon with her boyfriend, Billy McKeague, and her mom to help with baby responsibilities.
Azarenka joins Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine, Tatjana Maria of Germany, Evgeniya Rodina of Russia, and Casey Dellacqua, whose partner Amanda Judd gave birth to their two children, as the current playing moms.
And there’s at least two more players who are pregnant and planning returns to action after an appropriate amount of time following giving birth.
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The most notable soon-to-be mom is Serena Williams, arguably the best women’s player ever with her 23 Grand Slam singles titles, including having won last when already pregnant at the Australian Open in January. Williams, 35, is seven months along and is eyeing resuming her career at the start of next year.
Mandy Minella, 31, of Luxembourg revealed she is four-and-a-half months pregnant after losing her first round match to Francesca Schiavone of Italy on Monday. Minella is also competing in the Wimbledon doubles competition.
“I have been already talking about this point (of needing daycare services at tournaments) to some of the people in WTA,” Azarenka said. “From my own power, I’ll do anything to make that happen, because I think it’s really important. The guys (playing the ATP Tour) do have that luxury of having the nurseries and stuff at every event and I think it’s time for women to have the same benefit. Because I think for women it’s much more important and harder.”
The tour moms - or pending moms - have a common interest that is bonding them together. Azarenka’s chatted with the now retired Kim Clijsters, who returned to the game to win three of her four Grand Slam titles following the birth of her daughter Jada.
Azarenka’s also already offered advance advice to Williams.
“I have talked to Serena,” she said. “I do talk to her - not every day, but we do talk once in a while. I have talked to Kim (this week). We both agreed it’s (motherhood) the best thing that can happen to you in the world.”
Nevertheless, it wasn’t a fellow tennis player that Azarenka looked to when planning life as a professional sports star and mother.
“One of my biggest inspirations was (beach volleyball player) Kerri Walsh that came back after three kids and is still playing for gold medals. Nothing is impossible. For women, that’s definitely true.”
Wimbledon started a bit tentatively for Azarenka against American Catherine (Cici) Bellis on Monday, but she rebounded from a one-set deficit to reach the second round. In the encounter against Vesnina, Azarenka looked as good as ever - competitive, aggressive and consistent. They’ve now played eight times and Azarenka’s yet to lose a set.
The time away from the game actually helped Azarenka improve her game. She’s totally rebuilt her serve into a more formidable weapon, which she acknowledges wouldn’t have been possible during the normal two-month off-time at the end of the year.
“I realized that I have an opportunity to change things to prolong my career, definitely work hard physically in that particular time, give myself a best chance of being in shape that I have never been before.”
Only in the beginning stages of her post-childbirth career, Azarenka’s already learned that toting a baby around the world comes with altering travel habits. She says that so far baby Leo, is a trooper, but it’s little adjustments that are necessary, such as no longer arriving to the airport just minutes before a flight.
“It is definitely a little bit more luggage,” she said. “I didn’t know you cannot bring your stroller out in London, so we had to carry him all through the airport for 20 minutes till you get to custom, which was really weird.
“But being back here with an extra member of my team is really special,” she said, smiling.
