Belinda Bencic speaks on motherhood and her return to tennis - "All I thought about was the birth of my daughter"

Tennis star Belinda Bencic took some time off from the WTA Tour to give birth to her first child earlier this year, but she has slowly begun to make her comeback and is adjusting to her new life as a mother and professional tennis player.

The Olympic gold medalist announced her pregnancy in November, 2023, before welcoming her daughter, Bella in April 2024 alongside her long-term boyfriend, Martin Hromkovic. Prior to her hiatus, the Swiss star had won the Adelaide International title in January 2023, before reaching World No.10 in the WTA Rankings.

After successfully giving birth, the 27-year old reflected on her mindset during her pregnancy. Furthermore, Bencic stated she did not have any idea of when she would be returning at the time, as her child was her primary concern.

"It all happened faster than I could have expected," said Bencic. "I didn’t set any dates or time limits at first, I really didn’t want to put any pressure on myself and I didn’t know what could happen.
"All I thought about was the birth of my daughter and how I would feel after everything. People kept asking me about my return, but I was never able to give them much information."

However, the former World No.4 made a return to competitive tennis at an ITF event in Hamburg a few weeks ago. Furthermore, Bencic was able to represent Switzerland at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals, winning both her singles and doubles matches.