Players to get ranking protection after freezing eggs
Female tennis players who wish to freeze eggs or embryos, so they can start a family at a later date, will have their ranking protected by the WTA Tour.
The offer is open to any player ranked in the world's top 750 who spends more than 10 weeks out of competition.
Advertisement
The 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens says the rule will reduce the pressure on players to return to the court too quickly.
The 32-year-old, who has won eight WTA tournaments, told BBC Sport she has twice previously used the off-season to freeze her eggs.
"The first time I did it, I rushed back and I was overweight and not happy - and just very stressed out," she said.
"The second time I did it I took a totally different approach so I could just be in better shape: I could have the surgery, I could have more time to recover.
"So having the protected ranking there, so that players don't feel forced to come back early and risk their health again, is the best thing possible."
Advertisement
Players who undergo fertility treatment will be able to use their special ranking to enter up to three tournaments within 10 weeks of their return.
The special ranking will be an average of a player's ranking over a 12-week period before and during their leave.
Players will not, however, be able to use this ranking to enter one of the WTA's premier 1000 events, as the tour wants to encourage players to undertake the procedure at a quieter time of the season.
"It's all trial and error, everyone's body is different," Stephens added.
"Someone might be out for three months, someone might be out for one week.
Advertisement
"Some people gain a tonne of weight, some people can go back immediately. I think when you are family planning, it's better if you have that support."
Stephens says she was a strong advocate for such a measure when a member of the WTA Players' Council, and the tour's chief executive Portia Archer confirms the move was player-led.
"It was very much at the instigation of the players," she said.
"We want to really help players address this conundrum where peak athletic performance coincides with the time period of peak fertility, so players are often faced with this tough choice of how to really maximise and optimise those years."
Advertisement
Grants have also recently been made available towards the cost of any fertility treatment, and earlier this year the WTA introduced paid maternity leave for the first time.
More than 320 players are now eligible for up to 12 months paid leave - with everyone receiving the same amount, irrespective of their ranking.
Returning to the tour after maternity leave started to become easier when the WTA changed the rules before the 2019 season.
New mothers are able to use their previous ranking to enter 12 tournaments over a three-year period from the birth of their child.
The WTA also offers access to a health team, which offers physical assessments, mental health support and guidance on a staged return to play for new mothers and pregnant players.
Advertisement
German Tatjana Maria, who is ranked 81st in the world, has two children and returned to the tour after both pregnancies.
The 37-year-old welcomed the action by the WTA but believes more can be done to assist mothers on tour.
"I think there is still opportunities to help the WTA players and the mums on tour," she told BBC Radio 5 live.
"Even now having two kids on tour there are still issues. The WTA could change a little bit, whether it is [related to] hotel rooms or accreditation to make life easier.
"It is helpful to help [as they are doing] but also to help the mums on tour."
Advertisement
Tennis is not the first sport to offer support to women wishing to freeze their eggs, with the American basketball league the WNBA offering up to $60,000 (£52,500) reimbursement to players for fertility treatment including egg freezing.
High-profile athletes have spoken about their decision to freeze their eggs, including England cricket captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and former England netballer Geva Mentor.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Canada's Fernandez tops Germany's Maria to advance at Bad Homburg Open
BAD HOMBURG — Canada's Leylah Fernandez defeated Germany's Tatjana Maria 6-0, 7-6 (1) on Sunday in the opening round of the Bad Homburg Open. Fernandez of Laval, Que., had three aces to one double fault and won 61 per cent of her first-serve points. The 22-year-old also broke on all four of her chances in the match. Despite Maria's big push in the second set, looking to extend the match to a third, Fernandez cruised in the tiebreaker, 7-1, to take the victory. Maria had four aces, two double faults and won 67 per cent of her first-serve points. The 37-year-old broke on her lone opportunity of the contest.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
American Kessler wins Nottingham Open
McCartney Kessler claimed her first grass-court WTA Tour title with a 6-4 7-5 win over Dayana Yastremska in a rain-affected Nottingham Open final. The American, 25, was on the cusp of taking the first set - leading 5-4 with a break - when the covers were pulled across the court. Advertisement Once play resumed after a lengthy delay, Kessler picked up from where she left off as she wrapped up the opening set before getting a break in the seventh game of the second that looked to have her on course to take the match. But Ukraine's Yastremska, seeking her first WTA title since 2019, battled back, saving five match points before then breaking Kessler's serve to level matters in the second set. However, Kessler kept her cool to immediately regain the advantage, breaking Yastremska once more before serving to seal the title. It was an impressive achievement by Kessler, especially as she had only recorded her first career grass-court win the week before at Queen's.
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Fox News
Golf champion sacrificed tournament prep to care for sick daughter and still won
J.J. Spaun was born and raised in the Los Angeles suburb of San Dimas. He was the unlikely winner of the U.S. Open golf tournament yesterday. He is 34 years old and had only one PGA tournament win before winning the most difficult tournament in all of golf. He started the tournament just one shot behind the leader but promptly bogeyed five of the first six holes of the final round Sunday, putting him seemingly out of the competition. Then heavy rain came, pausing the tournament for over an hour. When he returned to the course, he did so with a renewed focus, roaring back with four birdies on the back nine while other golfers faltered in the harsh conditions. On the final hole, he miraculously sank a 64-foot putt to win. Surprisingly, he became only the second golfer in history from LA County to win a major golf tournament. (Colin Morikawa is the other; Tiger Woods is from Orange County.) But that is not what makes him a hero. He is a hero because of what he did the night before. Spaun is the father of two young daughters. The night before the final round, when most golfers in contention were on lockdown, focused exclusively on the task at hand, Spaun was with his wife, dealing with a very sick child. His 2-year-old daughter had caught a stomach bug and had been vomiting all night. At 3 a.m., while his competitors were deep asleep, he went off to find some medication for his daughter. He got in his rental car and drove from the suburbs to downtown Pittsburgh to find an open CVS pharmacy. On the morning of Father's Day, he put his own need for sleep and preparation on the eve of the most important day of his professional life to fetch an over-the-counter remedy he hoped would help his sick little girl. After his win, he admitted the rough night may have contributed to his very shaky start. "I'm not blaming that on my start, but it kind of fit the mold of what was going on, the chaos," he said. He clearly put his chances of winning in jeopardy with his sleepless night. LA is in desperate need of heroes. It has been mired in crises, from COVID-19 lockdowns to the George Floyd riots to the explosion in homelessness and crime, to disastrous wildfires, to budget deficits, and now violent protests. We have lots of celebrities but often fail to recognize our real heroes. We oftentimes lose sight of what really matters. Too often the talk is about who is born "privileged." The only privilege that exists is the privilege of being raised by a loving mother and loving father, which, sadly now seems to be the exception, not the rule. But on this Father's Day, a day in which we are supposed to honor fathers, Spaun put his responsibility as a father ahead of his self-interest in winning a golf tournament. In the end, he was rewarded with one of the most coveted trophies in golf, and a loving hug from his daughter, who was now feeling just fine.
