When Kim Clijsters lifted the 2011 Australian Open trophy, she became the most recent mother to win a Grand Slam singles title. More than a decade later, with an increasing number of mothers returning to the WTA Tour and winning titles, the question lingers: could Flushing Meadows witness another mother etching her name into tennis history?
The topic is not without precedent. Serena Williams came agonisingly close to doing so in 2019. Facing Simona Halep in the Wimbledon final, Williams was the heavy favourite to clinch a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam crown. Victory would have secured her an eighth Venus Rosewater Dish while also elevating her into an exclusive club of mothers who triumphed at the sport’s biggest stage. Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, and Kim Clijsters had all done it before her.
But the script didn’t unfold as expected. Halep stunned the Centre Court crowd with a clinical 6-2, 6-2 dismantling, leaving Williams and her supporters in shock. It meant that Williams’ remarkable comeback after giving birth to her daughter Olympia in 2017 ultimately fell just short of a fairy-tale major win.
Since Clijsters’ Melbourne triumph in 2011, no mother has managed to go all the way at a Slam, though a few have come tantalisingly close. In 2020, Victoria Azarenka enjoyed a brilliant fortnight in New York. After defeating Williams in a dramatic semi-final, the Belarusian—whose son Leo was born in 2016—booked her spot in the US Open final. There, however, she ran into Naomi Osaka, who produced a dazzling performance on the court while also drawing global praise for her off-court activism in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.
Still, Azarenka’s run served as a reminder that motherhood does not mean the end of elite performance. Instead, it showed that players could juggle both worlds and still challenge for the sport’s most prestigious prizes.
Recent seasons have only reinforced that idea. Elina Svitolina, who gave birth to her daughter Skai in 2022, reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon just nine months later, stunning world No.1 Iga Swiatek in the process. She has since followed that up with quarter-final appearances at both the Australian Open and French Open this year, proving her comeback is built for consistency.
Similarly, Olympic champion Belinda Bencic returned to the circuit after giving birth to her daughter Bella in April 2024. At this year’s Wimbledon, she went all the way to the semi-finals, underlining her readiness to once again compete at the highest level.
With the US Open now underway, the spotlight shines brightly on these returning mothers. History tells us that such triumphs are rare, but as more women successfully balance parenthood with professional sport, the odds of another breakthrough only grow stronger. Whether it happens this fortnight in New York remains to be seen but the signs suggest it may not be long before another mother follows in Clijsters’ footsteps.
Watch the US Open live on Sky Sports Tennis, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app until September 7.