There is now paid maternity leave in women's tennis.
06.03.2025, 22:17
07.03.2025, 00:03
SDA
The professional organization WTA announced a program financed by the Saudi Arabian investment fund PIF, which supports tennis players financially during and after pregnancy for up to one year. There will also be access to fertility programs.
The WTA did not disclose the amount of financial support or what requirements must be met in order to benefit from it on the sidelines of the Masters tournament in Indian Wells. The support program applies retroactively to 1 January. According to the WTA, more than 300 players are eligible.
In recent years, there has been an increasing number of players who have returned to the tour after pregnancy and continued their careers as professional tennis players - such as Belinda Bencic or the former world-class players Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Kim Clijsters.
The Saudi fund PIF has recently invested heavily in tennis. The Six Kings Slam show tournament in Riyadh, which has no sporting significance, caused a stir due to the entry fee of 1.5 million US dollars each. The WTA Finals for the best eight female tennis players were also held in Saudi Arabia for the first time last year. Human rights organizations criticize Saudi Arabia for using so-called sportswashing to distract attention from the difficult human rights situation in the country.
