WTA decided to follow in the footsteps of ATP by signing a multi -year partnership with the Saudi Arabia investment fund last year, the decision attracting criticism from the games of the game such as Martina Navratilova because of the treatment by the kingdom of the Gulf of her women and her human rights record.
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The world of tennis was divided after announcing last year that the next three editions of the WTA final will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The legends of the game such as Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and John McEnroe criticized what they received as the last attempt in the Kingdom of the Gulf Rich in “Lave-Sport” following the WTA decision to join the ATP to report a multi-year partnership with the country’s investment fund.
The partnership, however, had a positive impact on the game despite the criticism of Saudi Arabia of its wives as well as its doubtful human rights file. Shortly after having signed the agreement, Saudi Arabia sent a “strong message” to the world of tennis by putting pressure for a salary equal to the WTA finals.
Saudi Arabia to finance a maternity leave paid in tennis
The public investment fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) must finance a joint initiative with the WTA for maternity leave paid from “up to 12 months” for players of the women’s tennis circuit, he was announced on Thursday.
The PIF WTA maternity fund program “will offer advantages to more than 320 eligible WTA players,” the Women’s Tennis Association said in a press release.
“WTA players will receive for the first time a maternity leave paid up to 12 months and will have access to subsidies for fertility treatments to build families, as well as other advantages,” he said.
Players will have to compete “in a number of WTA tournaments in a time window” to benefit from payments.
Belinda Bencic, who won Olympic gold for Switzerland in Tokyo and returned to the WTA tour after having his daughter Bella last April, praised the development.
“This is absolutely the best news,” said Bencic after crossing the Tatjana Maria in Germany in the first round to Indian Wells in California.
“I think we are very proud as WTA players (to be) the first sport of female sports to do this.
“It is great for all those who plan to have a family and come back, especially the lower row players who must survive in one way or another when they do not play for a year and a half and then try to come back”, “
Bencic, who won his first title since his return from his leave in Abu Dhabi in February, noted that his opponent Thursday Maria was the mother of two children.
“I really feel like there are so many mothers now on tour, so we try to show everyone, it is possible to have a baby and play professional tennis,” she said.
Support and flexibility
The double winner of the Grand Chelem, Victoria Azarenka, a representative of the WTA players’ council, praised “the start of a significant change in the way we support women in tennis, which allows athletes to pursue their careers and their aspirations to start a family.”
“Ensure that programs like this exist has been a personal mission to me,” said former world number one Belarusian, who gave birth to a son in 2016, was quoted in the press release.
For the CEO of WTA, Portia Archer, “this initiative will provide the current and next generation of players with support and flexibility to explore family life, in the form they choose.”
For the first time, women’s tennis players are eligible for paid maternity leave, funded by Saudi Arabia! The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and Saudi Pif launch the Pif WTA maternity fund program, offering up to 12 months of paid holidays and fertility subsidies. This historic decision … pic.twitter.com/9taqpcschr
– Smashi (@Smashusiness) March 7, 2025
Several best players have taken a break in their career to give birth, with various degrees of impact on their subsequent career. The WTA says that 25 active players are mothers.
Belgian Kim Clijsters won three majors – US Open in 2009 and 2010 and the Australian Open in 2011 – after giving birth to his daughter in 2008, according to the traces of the Australians Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong, who triumphed over Grand Slams as mothers.
However, the Grand Chelem winner, Serena Williams, did not win after the birth of her first child in September 2017, even if the American reached four finals in Wimbledon and the US Open.
The quadruple winner of the Grand Chelem and former world number one Naomi Osaka from Japan returned to court in early 2024 after giving birth to a girl.
Since then, the 27 -year -old’s best result has been a final at the modest tournament in Auckland in January.
Critique by certain tennis figures for its female rights file, Saudi Arabia has strengthened its tennis investments in recent years, organizing for the first time the end of season WTA finals in Riyadh last November.
This came from months after the WTA concluded a multi -year partnership with the sovereign heritage fund PIF, the Kingdom being again planned to welcome the WTA finals in 2025 and 2026.
With AFP entrances
