A new mom in March 2024. And now a reigning WTA 500 champion in February 2025. What a remarkable motherhood story, isn’t it? After a challenging start to the season, the Swiss pro, Belinda Bencic, stunned the tennis world by reclaiming the Abu Dhabi just a couple of days ago. But this time, the victory was even more special. Her baby girl ‘Bella’, born last April, watched from the stands. And her triumphant comeback to the center court didn’t go unnoticed. Notably, Serena Williams’ former coach believes motherhood has played a pivotal role in the Swiss’ journey to reclaiming the crown she once won in 2023.

The Swiss had a bumpy start to the new season. She had an early R16 exit at the Adelaide International and a 4th-round loss to American No. 1 Coco Gauff at the Happy Slam. But she wasted no time making a statement at her first WTA 500 event of the season. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic winner powered through the early rounds of the Abu Dhabi Open. But, her toughest test came in the SF, where she faced the tournament’s top seed, Elena Rybakina. Despite losing the first set, Bencic recovered strong, winning the latter two sets. Due to that, she secured her place in the tournament final, where she will face unseeded American player Ashlyn Krueger.

And, the final took the turn from the first set as, despite being unseeded, Krueger came out firing, taking the first set 6-4 out of nowhere. But from that moment, it was all Swiss. She flipped the script, in commanding fashion, crushing her American opponent’s hope, and won the trophy in three 2-1 sets. After her triumph in Abu Dhabi, former doubles world No. 1 and 4 grand slams doubles title winner, Rennae Stubbs recently shared her admiration for Belinda Bencic, revealing what she believes to be the key factor behind the Swiss star’s success.

Speaking to her own “Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast,” the former champion doubles champion added, “How awesome is this, like, she’s always played great at Middle-East but she played great in Australia I think the biggest you know truth that has always been her problem is that her emotions you know ups and downs let’s say.”

After losing in the round of 16 to Liudmila Samsonova at the Adelaide International, where she participated after playing qualifiers, she made a commanding comeback at the first Grand Slam of the year. She defeated Jelena Ostapenko, and Suzan Lamens, and received a walkover against Naomi Osaka before losing to Coco Gauff in the fourth round.

Stubbs continues, “Getting a little stroppy on the court and a little bit and drama and as we know when we become a mom, things change in your brain a little bit and I think that you know her maturity level has gone through the roof and we thinking in the court, just in the way that the players that she beat like Rybakina in the tournament, as well as winning the tournament against Ashlyn Krueger will give her lot of confidence.” 

Bencic’s WTA 500 victory marks a stunning comeback after her 13-month gap from the tour. She stepped away from the ongoing tour in September 2023, following her appearance at another WTA 500 event in San Diego. She later revealed that she was expecting her first child with her fitness coach and longtime partner, Martin Hromkovič. And, nearly seven months later, in March 2024, Belinda Bencic embraced motherhood for the first time, welcoming her daughter, Bella. The joyous news was first shared with the world by Martin Hromkovič himself, making the moment even more special.

Belinda Bencic is not the only athlete who found success with motherhood; tennis great Serena Williams also accomplished a similar feat while becoming a mother.

Serena Williams clinched the title while becoming pregnant similar to Belinda Bencic’s achievement

Motherhood in tennis has become a true game-changer! Just look at the Swiss Bencic, who soared to glory 10 months after becoming a mother. But before her, another legend set the bar even higher, someone who graced the sport for nearly 27 years. Yes, I am talking about 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who pulled off an unprecedented feat: winning a major title while pregnant!

Remember the 2017 Australian Open? Then 35-year-old Serena reached the year’s first Slam final without losing any set, setting up an iconic 28th career showdown against her sister, Venus Williams. As the favorite, she started strong, taking the first set 6-4. But Venus pushed back in the second, keeping the match tight at 4-3. However, in a display of pure dominance, Serena delivered one of the best serves of the tournament in the fifth set, ultimately sealing another 6-4 set victory. And, with that win, she not only clinched her 23rd Grand Slam title but also surpassed Steffi Graf on the Open Era all-time major winners list.

But the real shock came months later. Serena took to Instagram, sharing a picture of her baby bump with the caption “My Dearest Baby, You gave me the strength I didn’t know I had. You taught me the true meaning of serenity and peace. I can’t wait to meet you”, revealing the world-changing news. Yes, she had won the title while two months pregnant!

In a later TED Talk interview, she revealed how she discovered her pregnancy two days before the tournament. This revelation left her feeling both nervous and determined to push through. “You hear all these stories about people when they’re pregnant — they get sick, they get really tired, really stressed out… I had to really take all that energy and put it in a paper bag, so to say, and throw it away,” she added.

After her victory over Krueger, Belinda Bencic became the second mother, following Victoria Azarenka (who achieved this milestone in 2020), to secure a WTA tour win after giving birth. What are your thoughts on Belinda Bencic’s impressive performance in the Middle East? Share your comments below!