Belinda Bencic gets candid on having baby at 27 and post-pregnancy goals

11/30/2024 12:45 AM

Belinda Bencic didn't have any doubts about wanting to start a family now as the 27-year-old feels she still has a lot of time to accomplish her goals and also be another example of a strong post-pregnancy return. 

In late 2023, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist announced that she was pregnant with her first child. Considering the timing, the expectation was that the former world No. 4 would miss the entire 2024 season.

In late April, Bencic shared that she welcomed a baby girl Bella. Six months later, the Swiss tennis star launched her post-pregnancy comeback by competing at an ITF event in Hamburg. After Hamburg, the Swiss took part in another ITF tournament before also representing Switzerland in a Billie Jean King Cup tie in mid-November. 

In recent years, there have been several cases of players giving birth and then making successful returns - Serena Williams, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Caroline Wozniacki, etc.

And Bencic was asked if she went her way when deciding to start a family or if knowing that multiple players made successful post-pregnancy comebacks helped her make that decision. 

"Probably both. I worked for so long, trained my whole childhood, and sacrificed a lot for my career. That's why I just want to make the most of it and not stop now. Maybe I'll regret it later. I want to get everything out of it that I can. I'm only 27 and have many good years ahead of me, which is why it was a no-brainer for me to come back. It was a conscious decision to start a family now. Of course, it inspired me a lot to see other mothers who managed to come back and play at the same level. Other athletes too, not just tennis players," the nine-time WTA champion told tennis MAGAZIN.

On November 30, the former world No. 4 defeated Julia Avdeeva at the ITF Hamburg in what was her first match since 2023 September. And when asked about kicking off her comeback just six months after welcoming Bella, the Swiss admitted that she didn't expect her return would come so quickly. 

"It is certainly much quicker than I expected. I didn't set myself a time limit at the beginning because I didn't want to put myself under time pressure and I didn't know what to expect. It all depended on how the birth went and how I felt. Everyone asked me when I would come back, but I couldn't give much information," Bencic said.

Currently, the Swiss tennis star is ranked at No. 907 in the world but she will have a protected ranking to use next year. When it comes to her early plans for 2025, the former world No. 4 will start the season by representing her nation at the United Cup and then use her protected ranking to enter the Australian Open. 

Also, Bencic suggested it would be nice if she could get some wildcards. 

"I'll play the tournaments I can get into. We're taking part in the United Cup and I'll use my protected ranking at the Australian Open. Of course I have to use the protected ranking to see what makes sense and what doesn't. I have to see how well I play and what my ranking is. But of course I want to play a lot of tournaments," she explained.

In the past, the Swiss tennis star spoke numerous times about wanting to become a Grand Slam champion. While she was one of the best players in the game for years before taking a pause, the 27-year-old managed to make only one Slam semifinal - she lost to Bianca Andreescu in the 2019 US Open semis.

Now, Bencic hopes to achieve that goal as a mother. However, she noted that even if her career finished now, she would be pleased with what she was able to accomplish.

"Yes, of course, I set goals. I still have the goal of winning a Grand Slam title. I don't know when and I'm not putting any time pressure on myself, but it would be great to finish my career. On the other hand, I'm already really happy with my career. Even if it's over now, I can say that I'm extremely happy. From a sporting perspective, winning the Olympics was the best thing I've ever experienced. It's difficult to set a goal for next season because I don't yet know what I can play. But I want to work my way up the rankings," Bencic said.