WTA players to receive maternity pay for first time

Victoria Azarenka described the WTA's maternity fund as "a meaningful shift in how we support women in tennis"

Female tennis players will receive paid maternity leave on the WTA Tour for the first time.

More than 320 players will be eligible for up to 12 months paid leave through a new maternity fund introduced by governing body, the Women's Tennis Association.

Everyone will receive the same amount, which has not been disclosed, irrespective of their ranking. And players will not have to repay the money if they later choose not to return to the sport.

Grants will also be made available for fertility treatment.

The maternity programme will be fully funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is a global partner of the WTA Tour.

Petra Kvitova and Belinda Bencic have both made their comeback from maternity leave in recent months.

Former world number one Victoria Azarenka, who gave birth to son Leo in 2016, told the BBC last year that it would be a "huge win for women in general" if the WTA was to introduce maternity pay.

Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka also spoke in support of maternity pay, saying it would be "life-changing".

"It's actually quite novel in a lot of ways," the WTA chief executive Portia Archer told BBC Sport.

"In women's professional sports, particularly sports where athletes are self-employed, this has never been something that has been provided.

"I think it will provide opportunities for our athletes to have [some] agency around when and how they choose to start or continue to build their families.

"It's available to players regardless of their ranking. Those who earn less will find this benefit particularly valuable."

Players will have to compete in a minimum of eight WTA events in the previous 12 months (or a minimum of 24 in the previous 36 months) to be eligible.

Returning to the tour after maternity leave has become easier since the WTA changed the rules before the 2019 season.

New mothers are now be able to use their previous ranking to enter 12 tournaments over a three-year period from the birth of their child.

Since 2019, returning mothers with a special ranking high enough to be seeded have also had a guarantee they will not face a seeded player in the opening round of their first eight tournaments.

A seeding allows tournaments to ensure the world's best players do not meet in the early stages of competitions and instead play lower-ranked players in the opening rounds.

The WTA says 50 players have benefitted from the special ranking since it was introduced six years ago.

The WTA also offers access to a health team and taskforce, which includes physical assessments, mental health support and guidance on a staged return to play for new mothers and pregnant players.