ANALYSIS: As Petra Kvitova continues to struggle, do top WTA players regain their form after becoming a mother?

Petra Kvitova losing out in her opening round to Katie Volynets and not being able to win matches since her return has opened up a new debate surrounding the effect of becoming a mother and how some bounce back and others don't.

Kvitova in particular in Madrid in the past has been imperious. Aryna Sabalenka is one of the only players who can tie her record this week of title wins in the tournament. But since returning, she has not won a game in four attempts losing in Austin, Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid.

Perhaps the better gauge will be going onto grass with Kvitova being a multiple time Wimbledon champion but also may prompt her into making a decision about what her future holds at the top level if she is easily beaten.

For a player of her stature, she will easily get wildcards to tournaments but also as Emma Raducanu, Angelique Kerber and even Caroline Wozniacki have shown albeit the former was injured, the road back to success is chequered when you are forced to play the big names in opening rounds every week.

But who has had success and who hasn't as a kind of roadmap for Kvitova amid her recent travails?

Perhaps the best example of success post pregnancy is Elina Svitolina. Svitolina returned and despite a stop start return to the sport, she has emerged again as a top 20 player.

She was WTA Comeback Player of the Year and has continued in her vein of form despite since ditching the coach that brought her back into it in Raemon Sluiter who has since worked with Maria Sakkari.

Svitolina won a title just last week at the Rouen Open and has achieved latter stage finishes in all of the Grand Slams since her return. Albeit perhaps as is the next example, age was on her side. She is now 30 but was 28 when she became a mother so was more set for a return than most.

Perhaps the more remarkable and at this moment likely a shoein for the same award that Svitolina got is Belinda Bencic.

The Swiss ace like Svitolina is only in her late 20's when she gave birth to daughter Bella. But she soon returned to the sport after giving birth. She did a similar route perhaps showing that the potential for wildcards not being there is a better case.

Bencic received some help like Svitolina being a big name in the sport but she grinded in ITF tournaments on her return in a move that many others perhaps should take stock in. Especially given that she has since won the Abu Dhabi Open and looks all set for another run this week in Madrid.

She faces Beatriz Haddad Maia on Saturday afternoon. But despite a stop start run since her title success, that can perhaps be put down to the fact that she has basically played non stop from the end of last year to now.

So the week off and not playing Billie Jean King Cup proved to be an effective mechanism to get her back on form but as of right now, there is substance to show that she is a better player now than before.

Albeit now Azarenka seems to be slightly fading as the last player born in the 1980's to leave the top 50, she had a bit of an opposite route.

She had a huge downturn after her return but managed to anchor it together as her son Leo got older. She returned to the foray during the US and Australian run-ins winning Cincinnati. She claimed her first title since 2016 in 2020 and also reached the top 20 again.

Still achieving results at 35, Azarenka is testament that there is a route back albeit she is similar to Bencic and Svitolina in that she had her son in 2017 when she was in her 20's.

Perhaps the best success was Kim Clijsters who returned to tennis after having daughter Jada Elle in 2008. She won the US Open in 2009 and 2010 and the Australian Open in 2011.

She remains the most recent woman to win a Grand Slam singles title after giving birth.

Albeit she did try to do this again later in her career after becoming a mother again and it didn't work so it works both ways.

But while some had success others didn't including Angelique Kerber who perhaps fell into the trap of returning when she perhaps shouldn't have done.

It is often said that even those with huge legacies never quite scratch that itch with Usain Bolt for instance in sprinting perhaps competing in one two many championships.

Kerber isn't exactly the same but she soon decided to call it quits after returning at the start of 2024. She ended her career in style though in reality. She performed superbly at the Paris Olympic Games and then called it a day.

Knowing when her race is run, she decided to end her career. She then announced she was set to become a mother again. Albeit being in her late 30's, the likelihood is of another comeback is almost zero.

On the otherhand, Caroline Wozniacki already retired once before. She ended her career and then Covid struck so in reality couldn't have the farewell she wanted.

She played Ons Jabeur in Copenhagen in a final match but soon returned to the sport. But it was a bit of a damp squibb. She reached the latter stages of the US Open a few times but her return was perhaps more characterised by complaints from her father about a lack of opportunities.

A lot of tournaments were willing to give Wozniacki wildcards but some weren't including Roland Garros. Albeit the writing is perhaps on the wall with them given that they mostly give them to French players.

A rule that has mostly always been in place. But she is unlikely to return now. She was pretty inconspicuous during the start of 2025 blaming rheumatoid arthritis for her withdrawal from the Australian Open. Fans will have been forgiven for thinking it was a wasted chance after getting herself back inside the top 50. But she announced just last month that she will become a mother again. Chapter closed?

While Osaka on the other hand is still playing but by her own admission is not having the best time.

Perhaps a bit of an outlier given she had huge success and had a child while she was young and she still isn't back to her past level only a few years on.

But to be fair, her return has been characterised by playing well then getting injured at times where she is performing. So luck has played a part in her lack of success.

She is now starting again in lower form tournaments to try and get back. A shrewd move? Time will tell but Svitolina and Bencic both did it and albeit it would be in reverse, it could give her that extra 10% ahead of Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Not a write off yet but certainly not a Svitolina or Bencic.

Albeit now players will have the chance to not leave it to chance like Kvitova or even Azarenka with the latter campaigning for a long time for maternity pay and she got her wish earlier in the year so soon we may have a raft of top players having children and then rolling the dice themselves knowing cover is there. So while Kvitova isn't there yet, others won't fear doing the same.