MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Motherhood is becoming more and more commonplace in professional tennis with 20 moms on the WTA Tour, including six competing in the Miami Open singles main draw over the past week.

There was even an All-Mom second-round match between former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka and former No. 3 Elina Svitolina.

Osaka, who won the match, is back on tour after giving birth to daughter Shai last summer. Svitolina and tennis-playing husband Gael Monfils welcomed daughter, Skai, in October 2022, she returned to the tour in April 2023 and in the next few months reached the quarters at the French Open and semifinals at Wimbledon.

“I remember watching Elina playing Wimbledon while I was pregnant, and thinking, 'I want to be there, too, one day,' ” Osaka said. “I feel a great deal of respect for all the moms on tour. I’ m really grateful to have so many moms around me, and happy that my daughter is the youngest in the bunch, so I am able to ask questions when I need to.”

The WTA Tour has taken steps in recent years to empower players considering pregnancy, expectant mothers, and mothers on tour with the support of sponsor Hologic, a leading medical technology company focused on women’s health.

Among the initiatives:

Special protected ranking so that a player on maternity leave has a special ranking upon her return. Players can enter 12 tournaments over a three-year period on a special ranking. Additionally, returning players are guaranteed to not face another seed in the first round. That applies to the first eight WTA tournaments she plays upon her return.

A team of women’s health specialists, known as the Hologic WTA Health Taskforce, dedicated to advancing the science and guidelines for female athletes and active women globally, specifically developing health protocols for female athletes returning to competition. Among the issues addressed: fertility, family planning, pelvic floor therapy, proper sports bra fit, preventative screenings and bone health.

And a Global Women’s Health Fund established by the WTA Foundation to provide 1 million women with prenatal vitamins in low and middle-income countries in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Motherhood is nothing new in professional tennis.

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