Women’s Tennis Introduces Groundbreaking Change That Fans Say Is 'About Damn Time'
The Women's Tennis Association is drawing praise after announcing on Thursday that it will offer pregnant players up to 12 months of paid maternity leave.
The WTA says more than 300 players are eligible for paid maternity leave, which is retroactive to Jan. 1. The groundbreaking move will also benefit parents via partner pregnancy, surrogacy or adoption, who are eligible for up to two months of paid leave.
The initiative is funded by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which became a the tennis organization's global partner last year. The WTA touts the pioneering initiative as "a first-of-its-kind and the only maternity program in women's sports to be fully funded and supported by an external partner."
"It can be challenging to balance the physical and emotional demands of a professional tennis career with the complexities of motherhood and family life. For some time, we have been exploring how we can increase our support for players to help them become parents at a time of their choice," said WTA CEO Portia Archer in a statement. "We are delighted that our partnership with PIF allows us to realize a key ambition to offer paid maternity and parental leave to more than 320 eligible WTA players. This initiative will provide the current and next generation of players the support and flexibility to explore family life, in whatever form they choose.”
Introducing the new PIF WTA Maternity Fund ????
— wta (@WTA) March 6, 2025
Introducing the new PIF WTA Maternity Fund. As a groundbreaking initiative, the PIF WTA Maternity Fund will provide eligible WTA players with comprehensive maternity benefits and fertility treatments to start or expand their… pic.twitter.com/T98himxIL4
According to The Associated Press, the program also provides grants for fertility treatments, including egg freezing and IVF. The outlet also repots that 25 moms are active on tour. What's more, Swiss pro and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic won a title last month after returning from maternity leave in October.
Among the most iconic players who have returned to the pro circuit after giving birth includes Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki.
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The WTA did not reveal how much how much money pregnant players are eligible for. Whatever the case, the move drew praise from fans. One fan reacted to the news on social media tweeting, "Let's goooooooo! Now this is what we're talking about."
Williams' husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, reacted by tweeting, "Smart move @WTA."