Who stands out the most among the top mother players this year?

When it comes to mother players, many fans probably first think of Belgium’s star Kim Clijsters. She won her first Grand Slam title back in 2005, and after exiting the Warsaw tournament in May 2007, she announced her retirement from tennis to focus on family and welcomed her first daughter.

Clijsters did not compete at all during the entire 2008 season and only returned to the tour in 2009. That spring, the Belgian star began winning matches again, reaching the women’s singles quarterfinals in Cincinnati. Later that year at the US Open, entering as an unranked wildcard, she defeated several top players including Wozniacki, capturing her second Grand Slam singles title.

This achievement made Clijsters the first player to win a Grand Slam as a wildcard entrant and the first mother to win a Grand Slam singles title since Evonne Goolagong in 1980.

Even years later, it remains rare to see a player return after childbirth and win a Grand Slam like Clijsters did. Serena Williams has made several attempts but never succeeded. Of course, this season we have still seen many mother players deliver impressive performances.

Bencic: From rank 500 back to top 20

Once a prodigious talent, Bencic gave birth to her daughter in April 2024 and returned to competition in January 2025 with a world ranking of only 487. However, in less than a season, she not only reached a Grand Slam semifinal again (at Wimbledon this year, after the 2019 US Open) but also climbed into the top 20, winning two WTA 500-level tournaments along the way.

Bencic finished the year ranked 11th and was nominated for the 2025 WTA Comeback Player of the Year award.

Naomi Osaka: Back to US Open semifinals after five years

A four-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world No. 1, Naomi Osaka gave birth to her daughter in July 2023 and officially returned to the tour in Brisbane last January. The Japanese star quickly won her first match back, defeating Kopach in the opening round. Compared to her first comeback season, Osaka made significant progress this year.

She reached her first WTA final since returning at Auckland early in the year, though she lost to Townsend in the final. In May, she won her first career clay court title at the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo. Later, Osaka advanced to the US Open semifinals, marking her first time reaching that stage there in five years.

Besides Bencic and Osaka, other mother players who performed well this season include Svitolina, Maria, and Townsend. Which player’s comeback impressed you the most?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)