March 6 (UPI) -- Women's tennis players will be eligible for paid maternity leave, other maternity benefits and fertility treatments through a joint initiative supported by the WTA and Public Investment Fund, the groups said Thursday.
The initiative marks the first time in the history of women's sports that comprehensive maternity benefits will be made available to independent, self-employed athletes. The PIF -- or sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia -- signed a multi-year naming-rights partnership with the WTA in May.
More than two dozen mothers are active on the WTA tour. That group includes former world No. 1s Naomi Osaka and Victoria Azarenka and Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic, who became a mother in April and won the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open singles title in February.
"I'm honored to introduce this program, driven by players, and made possible with the support of PIF and the WTA," Azarenka, a WTA players council representative, said in a news release.
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"This marks the beginning of a meaningful shift in how we support women in tennis, making it easier for athletes to pursue both their careers and their aspirations of starting a family. Ensuring that programs like this exist has been a personal mission of mine, and I'm excited to see the lasting impact it will have for generations to come."
WTA players will be eligible to receive paid maternity leave for up to 12 months. More than 320 players are eligible for the program.
"It can be challenging to balance the physical and emotional demands of a professional tennis career with the complexities of motherhood and family life," said Portia Archer, CEO of the WTA. "For some time, we have been exploring how we can increase our support for players to help them become parents at a time of their choice.
"We are delighted that our partnership with PIF allows us to realize a key ambition to offer paid maternity and parental leave to more than 320 eligible WTA players. This initiative will provide the current and next generation of players the support and flexibility to explore family life, in whatever form they choose."
To become eligible for the initiative, players must compete in a certain number of WTA tournaments within a time frame. They will still receive a special ranking, an existing benefit started through the WTA's family focus program.
The WTA said 50 players have benefited from special rankings after returning to the court from pregnancy since the system was introduced in 2019.
