Margaret Court was a 21-time Grand Slam champion before giving birth to her first child, Daniel, in 1972. She was the first player to win a Grand Slam title as a mother, coming back the next year to win titles at the Australian Open, French Open and US Open to bring her total to 24 Slam titles.

Evonne Goolagong won the 1977 Australian Open after giving birth earlier that year and went on to win Wimbledon in 1980. More recently, former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters won three Grand Slam titles after becoming a mother.

After giving birth to daughter Jada in 2008, Clijsters announced her comeback and won the 2009 US Open as a wild card, beating Venus and Serena Williams. She added a U.S. Open title in 2010 and Australian Open title in 2011.

Clijsters, reached by phone, is encouraged to see the changes for mothers on tour.

“I had help and guidance from aunts and family members, but nothing from the sport itself,” Clijsters said. “One of the biggest changes implemented when Serena (Williams) became pregnant was the three-year special ranking opportunity. So, if you’re 10 in the world and decide to have a baby, you can freeze that ranking and come back and pick up where you left off, which is a huge difference. My ranking dropped to almost nothing. I had to start over.”

She said sponsors also have a different mindset about athlete moms, health insurance has improved, and trainers now specialize in women’s body issues.

“Last year when I went to the Miami tournament, they had a specially trained physio that was there for after-birth, making sure the core is strong, all the muscles down there,” she said. “There’s a lot more awareness of issues mothers face.”

Clijsters said when she made her return older players approached her and told her they admired her decision to have a child and they had resisted because were worried about their prize money, sponsors and ranking.

“I just followed my gut instinct, I knew I wanted to be a mom,” Clijsters said. “But for other women, that decision is very stressful.”

Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slams, including the 2017 Australian Open, which she won while she was pregnant with daughter Alexis Olympia. She had two pulmonary embolisms during labor, which delayed her return to the tennis tour. She won one title, the 2020 Auckland Open, after her return.

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