Tennis players in the Women’s Tennis Association Tour will receive paid maternity leaves under a groundbreaking scheme supported by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign fund, the PIF.
The PIF WTA Maternity Fund Program will pay for maternity leave up to 12 month. The women’s circuit athletes will have access to grants that can be used for fertility treatment. The WTA stated that the plan will benefit more than 320 players.
This initiative is the first in sports history to offer comprehensive maternity benefits to self-employed, independent women athletes.
The WTA announced its global partnership with PIF in May last year, with the Maternity Scheme being the most significant announcement to date.
The WTA released a statement in which it said: “Since May 2024 when the PIF and WTA partnership was formed, the WTA Players’ Council has identified maternity support as an important area of collaboration and a vital project by the WTA Players’ Council that represents the interests and needs of players.”
Several mothers are competing on the Tour, including Victoria Azarenka Elina Svitolina Naomi Osaka Belinda Bencic. Petra Kvitova, the former world number two, also returned to action after a 17-month break from tennis at the ATX Open.
Portia Archer, WTA’s chief executive officer, said: “We have been looking at ways to increase our support of players so that they can become parents when it suits them.” This initiative will give the current and future generation of players flexibility and support to explore family life in any form they choose.
Victoria Azarenka is a WTA Players’ Council Representative. She said that the initiative was “the beginning” of a “meaningful shift in the way we support women in the sport of tennis. It will make it easier for players to pursue their career and achieve their family-planning goals. It has been my personal mission to ensure that programs such as this exist, and I am excited to see what impact they will have on future generations.
Participation in the PIF WTA Maternity Fund Program is contingent on a number of WTA events being played over a specified period and a ranking that will make it easier for you to compete again after having a child.
Since 2019, the rankings of players are protected during pregnancy, and after childbirth. Women can return to their previous level up to three or two years after having a baby, or following a different form of parenthood such as guardianship. So far, 50 players have benefited.
WTA offers support for players who are expecting or have just become parents. This includes physical assessments, nutritional and mental health advice, as well a guidance on a gradual return to playing.
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