In April, the Swiss tennis player became a mother for the first time and is now preparing for her comeback. But Belinda Bencic has not revealed when that will happen. She does not feel physically ready yet.
Belinda Bencic has been a mother to a daughter for a few months now. But the 27-year-old from eastern Switzerland is not finished with her career yet. And she says: “I worked too much and too hard during my childhood and youth to let go and just enjoy myself now.”
Robert Prange / Getty
Belinda Bencic, on April 23rd you became a mother to a daughter named Bella. How much has your life changed since then?
A lot has changed, but it’s all for the better. Of course, everything is a little different now than it was when my partner Martin (Hromkovic, ed.) and I weren’t parents yet. Sometimes I can’t even imagine what we did with our time. But after three months, everything has settled down. Of course, a lot of things are more stressful. But overall, I think it’s a huge asset to have Bella by our side.
You are now 27 years old. Your life up to now has always revolved around tennis. Now you suddenly have a new focus in your life. How does that feel for you?
I can now put many things into perspective better. Tennis was my life and the sport is still important to me. But I now know that there is more to life than just the life on the court. At the same time, I approach all questions related to my career in a more relaxed and less tense manner. When I am on the court, I concentrate one hundred percent on tennis. At the same time, I am always happy to go home afterwards and immerse myself in my new life, where everything no longer revolves around a yellow ball. Today, I see tennis more as my job and my work, but my meaning in life is now Bella.
You played your last match last September in San Diego. That’s a long time. Have you ever been away from tennis for that long before?
The longest break was after my wrist injury. I was away for six or seven months. In the past few weeks I have spoken to several other players who have become mothers. They all told me unanimously: getting back into it is a bit tough. You have to overcome yourself. But the automatic reactions return quickly. The muscles remember. That is where I am now.
How far are you on the way to your comeback? Or to put it another way: When will we see you back on the court competing?
I don’t know exactly when I can plan my comeback. I’ve been training again for six weeks. I started with just about an hour on the court. Then I gradually increased my intensity and sometimes even trained for an hour twice. I’m making progress, but the priority is still on my fitness, and of course I still have a lot to do there. I was always aware that it would happen quickly. After just two weeks of vacation, you’re no longer at the same level. I sometimes feel it’s almost a little unfair how quickly you lose muscle mass.
What do you do with Bella while you train?
We usually take her with us to the pitch or to the gym. Martin is there too, and his mother or my mother is often there to help us. I have a lot of support. Bella is already getting used to our life, which simply takes place on tour.
Where are you training at the moment?
I’m splitting my time between Switzerland and Bratislava. Then we’ll stay in Monaco for the rest of the summer and autumn to work on the finish.
How good was the break for your body? You were repeatedly set back by injuries?
Pregnancy is not just a time for recovery, but rather a real strain on the body. Despite this, many minor aches and pains, mild inflammations and things like that have been able to recover. For me, this break was also a kind of reset for the body. Now I am motivated to continue working with my new body.
The US Open starts on Monday. Do you have any concrete comeback plans?
I can’t say for sure yet. I hope it will be enough this season, or at the start of the new season. In just a month I will be able to say where I stand. Of course I wish I was ready for the Fed Cup final in November. After all, we want to become world champions again. But there’s no point in pushing it too hard. I will definitely try to get back on my feet at smaller tournaments to start with. I do have a protected ranking and could therefore play in any tournament. But there’s no point in doing that if I’m not physically ready. How long I can benefit from this protected ranking also depends on how long I was away from the tour. That’s why I would be punishing myself if I pushed my comeback too hard. And to be honest: I want to enjoy my time with Bella now.
How difficult is it for you to think about getting back into the daily routine of tournaments and subordinating everything to tennis?
The hardest part will be everything that goes with it. Packing, flying, traveling until you get to the tournaments. I’m definitely looking forward to the tournament routine, and also to the competition. But of course everything will be different logistically. In the future we’ll be allowed to travel with more excess baggage than before. But it’s all doable. The hardest thing will probably be spending less time at home again. I’ve gotten used to living like a normal person.
When was the last time you lived a truly settled life?
I have never been settled. And I don’t think I will be for a long time. I feel a little bit at home everywhere. During Corona I recently experienced what it is like to be at home more. This life also has something to offer.
There are more and more mothers in the tennis world. Recently, Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina became mothers. How much have you heard from these other players?
I talked to some of them, not necessarily with Switolina or Osaka, I don’t know them well enough. But I talked to Angelique Kerber, for example, or Stephanie Vögele. It was less about the actual playing or everyday tournament life, more about the pregnancy. Of course it gives you courage to hear from others who have also managed it. It’s a bit of a fresh start.
Three weeks ago, the Chinese Zheng Qinwen replaced you as Olympic champion in Paris. They say an Olympic victory changes your whole life. Is that really true?
In a way, yes. I have realized a dream and can now say that no matter what happens next, the work and all the sacrifices I have made for tennis since I was a child have paid off. When I retire, I will be able to look back on my career with pride. I have developed a certain relaxed attitude. I still remember the Olympic final in Tokyo well. I was more nervous than ever before and was convinced that if I won, I would take it all in my stride. The gold medal was a huge relief. This feeling lasted for about two weeks. Then I was just as nervous before a first-round match as I had been before the Olympic victory. That’s how sport works: you always want more. It was no different for Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. No matter how many times you’ve won, whenever you step onto the court you want to win again.
At 27, you may be in the middle of your career. What goals do you still have?
The Olympic victory takes some of the pressure off me. At the same time, it is still one of my goals to win a major tournament at some point. I still have a few good years ahead of me. And I worked too much and too hard in my childhood and youth to let go and just enjoy myself now. Angelique Kerber ended her career at the Paris Games at the age of 37. She had her best phase during the time I am now entering. I think there is still a lot in it for me too.
And family planning, that probably isn’t finished yet either?
Definitely not. I would definitely like to have more children, definitely one more, two at the most. Two or three children, that would be nice. But that can take time. I am not planning on taking a pregnancy break from the tour again. Many players who are approaching thirty suddenly feel under pressure. Their biological clock is ticking. The fact that I am already a mother takes some of the pressure off me in this respect too. I will take my time with having more children until my career is over.
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