US Open: Playing after three years, Tsvetana Pironkova shows value of WTA’s changed motherhood rules

Tsvetana Pironkova is not the first player to return to professional tennis after giving birth, nor will she be the last.

That she is a mother should not define her performance on court; that can only be judged on skill. Skill that saw her knock out two seeded players – Garbine Muguruza and Donna Vekic – to reach the second week of the US Open. This is her first tournament in over three years and she has progressed this far without dropping a set.

But in the case of the 32-year-old Bulgarian, motherhood underlines her journey back to the court. Because she would not have been back at a Grand Slam and making heads turn with her game and results as an unranked player had it not been for the change in WTA rules for mothers last year.

She played what would have been the last professional tennis match at Wimbledon, her happy hunting ground, back in 2017. Incidentally, Muguruza had won the title that year, beating Venus Williams in the final. Both players who have been on the other side of Pironkova’s upset wins at Majors.

That was the time Serena Williams was on her maternity break and in a way, it was her return to the tour that brought about the change to enable Pironkava’s return. In late 2019, the WTA announced that players returning from a maternity break will be able to use their previous ranking to enter 12 tournaments over a three-year period, including two Grand Slams.

Pironkova, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist and world No 31, was prompted to return after the rule change. During her time away, she said she was living a comfortable retired life as a mother to son Alexander, born in 2018, and an entrepreneur after starting an athleisure brand. But a part of her missed the competition.

“Well [the WTA rule change] is actually one of the reasons I decided to come back because the opportunity is really great... I wasn’t sure if I ever was going to come back, but at one point, I just started really missing the tour and missing the competition. I didn’t want to miss my chance to use my special ranking,” she was quoted as saying by WTA website after her first win.

Interestingly, a day after she announced that she was planning a return in mid-March, the tennis world was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Not an auspicious sign but something that actually helped her mount the remarkable comeback she has.

She had more time to train and with no tennis for close to six months, most players came to New York after layoffs, though not at as long hers of course. The many withdrawals due to health reasons also ensured that her protected ranking of 123 was enough for her to make the main draw of the US Open.

But her draw was anything but easy with Australian Open runner-up Muguruza and last year’s quarter-finalist Vekic.

She beat both of them in straight sets with her unique style of play on the fast courts, enhancing her reputation as an unexpected giant-killer from back in the day. Pironkova peaked at a world rank of 31 over 10 years ago but had 12 wins over Top 10 and 22 over Top 20 players. Her only WTA title – 2014 Sydney International – came as a qualifier ranked below 100 who blew apart the field, which included Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber. Clearly, that has not changed.

“I always knew I had it in me because it’s not the first time I [won over] a top player. I have been on the tour for almost 15 years, and I had many occasions where I played against the best of the best players. I also scored quite a few wins over them,” she said in New York.

A growing community

The Bulgarian is one of nine mothers in the singles main draw of the US Open, including former champion Kim Clijsters who also announced a comeback in 2020. Six of the nine – Clijsters, Vera Zvonareva, Tatjana Maria, Kateryna Bondarenko, Patricia Maria Tig and Olga Govortsova – have been eliminated while Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka have reached the fourth round.

Mum’s the word: Three of nine mothers in US Open draw reach third round, with wins over top seeds

While the Grand Slam winners in the list have understandably got more spotlight and success, it is the lesser-known stories such as this that truly show the importance of the WTA rule change. Although often lonely and always grinding, the tour can be a great community for players. It shows that return from maternity break is not always about titles, but also the challenge and joy of playing the sport you love.

“It’s definitely really nice to see more and more moms every year. Once you become a mother you don’t magically lose your ability to play,” she said.

“I’m good friends with Kateryna Bondarenko ... and she’s also back on the tour after she gave birth to her second child. We kind of exchanged some experience even after she was back on the tour after her first child. It’s helpful to have fellow mothers on tour,” she added.

Pironkova will next face France’s Alize Cornet for a place in the quarter-finals, an unseeded opponent for once. She has not progressed past the fourth round at US Open, reaching there only once in 2012, and has the momentum to do it now.

But irrespective of how her first tournament on comeback ends, Pironkova is a fantastic ambassador for the return of Grand Slam tennis.