Mother of all parties on centre court as Williams, Azarenka and Maria return to tour action
Mum was the word on Centre Court on Wednesday, as the trend for female tennis players returning to tour after giving birth found uplifting fruition.
Three mothers stepped into the showpiece arena in a procession Wimbledon can never before have witnessed.
There was of course queen bee Serena Williams, but also former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka and, due to a late switch after quick progress of scheduled matches, Germany’s Tatjana Maria.
Serena Williams beat Viktoria Tomova in the second round at Wimbledon, winning 6-1, 6-4
Their backgrounds, statuses, and results were varied but they combined to underline the growing truth that, though difficult to navigate at times, parenthood for women should not prove impediment to elite tennis.
Williams has brought her 10-month-old daughter Olympia onto a Grand Slam site for the first time - taking her onto the hallowed grass before the tournament started - while Azarenka had her 18-month-old son Leo with her in a different way during her match against seventh-seed Karolina Pliskova.
Leo’s name was stitched onto Azarenka’s shoes and though ultimately Pliskova proved too much in a 6-3, 6-3 loss the two-time Australian Open champion had already won in a certain respect.
Another mother, Victoria Azarenka, was beaten 6-3, 6-3 by seventh-seed Karolina Pliskova
Azarenka had Leo, the name of her 18-month son, stitched into her shoes for the game
Azarenka was involved in a bitter custody battle after splitting from her son’s father Billy McKeague following last year’s Wimbledon. The 28-year-old Belarusian was not able to compete in Europe until May this year after a judge in California ruled that her son should not leave the state until custody was resolved.
Her ranking plummeted to 99 in the world and Azarenka said no parent should have to decide between their child and their career. But an agreement was reached two months ago and though Azarenka’s status is still not what it should be for a player of her talent, she is on the climb and with her son alongside.
Azarenka, who will partner Jamie Murray in the mixed doubles here, spoke with passion on the subject of raising a child and battling the best. ‘Well, my mother is helping me out, which is really amazing,’ she said. ‘The challenge is still to find the balance that when I go out and practice or play, be okay that I’m not spending this time with my son.
Tatjana Maria suffered defeat as she was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Kristina Mladenovic
‘Being able to play a lot longer now is also a good estimate to have a family. I think the trend of that is going to change, and I think that’s really positive. In the nineties it was very different, and I think overall global understanding of women working and having a family is changing a lot.’
Azarenka believes policy should be tweaked so rankings are not unduly affected by maternity leave. ‘I think it’s an important conversation that has been started,’ she said. ‘This has led to numerous meetings where we are discussing how can we be a leader in sports to have the best maternity policy.’
Maria, who has a four-year-old daughter Charlotte, has climbed to world No 57 after returning to tennis following parenthood. She has said she sometimes thinks of her child in between points, an inspiration more than distraction. Although Kristina Mladenovic proved too much last night.
Vera Zvonareva, Evgeniya Rodina, Kateryna Bondarenko, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Mandy Minella are the other mothers in action this fortnight.