Mum’s the word on a lazy label
Only three women in the Open era have won a grand slam singles title after they became parents. There are eight in the field this year but don’t call them “super mums”.
I saw a woman with her child on the walkway between Greenmount and Rainbow Bay on the Gold Coast. Her daughter was crying. She’d cut her foot. She looked up and said, “Mum, what are we going to do?” The woman gave a beatific smile I’ve never forgotten and said, “This is what we’re going to do. We’re going to get you a Band-Aid out of the car. And then we’re going to buy ice-cream.”
They were strangers. No idea who they were. It was such a normal scene and yet so heroic and I wrote it down. “What are we going to do?” There’s a supermum for you. And there’s an everyday example of why the label in tennis is insufferably dumb. A lazy, corny, fawning line.
At best, it’s the mother of idiotic generalisations. At worst, it’s offensive to the traditional mums, the mums without the full-time nannies and seven-figure bank accounts and global sponsorship deals and standing ovations – who barely have time to watch the Australian Open, let alone play in it.
Any Channel 9 commentator who says “supermum” during the next fortnight must be taken out the back by security and … err … given 10 minutes in the naughty corner and told they can no longer have nice things. Yes, there’s eight mothers in the draw at Melbourne Park, and yes, only three mothers have won majors in the Open era. But unless I’m sorely mistaken, there’s mothers everywhere in the workforce who don’t get these hysterical salutations.
From Naomi Osaka to Caroline Wozniacki, whose real hardship is rheumatoid arthritis, the tennis-player mums have wonderfully interesting, joyous and life-affirming tales. Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong and Kim Clijsters are the only slam winners in the Open era and so it’s clearly no easy task. Serena Williams won 23 majors before becoming a parent and none after it. But by calling some mums “super” because they’re playing sport, you’re suggesting others aren’t so super. There’s no world rankings for mums? I’m sure Wozniacki’s a terrific mum. But she’s no more super than your own. I hope one of these players comes out and says, “Please. I’m no supermum.”
They’re more privileged than most. They’re millionaires. Cost-of-living stresses don’t apply. They have relatively short working hours each day. They hit balls and the gym and the physio bench and jump in the ice bath and get a massage and get home in time to read the next chapter of Peppa Pig.
It’s hardly nine-to-five. Travel can be complicated but they’re not exactly staying at a Melbourne backpackers. They’re not juggling mortgages, lunch boxes, drop-offs, pick-ups, daycare fees, school fees, sporting fees, doctor’s fees, dentist fees, full-time work, part-time work, casual work. Of course there’s daily business and sleepless nights, but they’re also doing what they love. The hardship? Nothing out of the ordinary. Hopefully Channel 9’s coverage is mature enough to recognise this. I fear the worst.
They’re the lucky mums. They’ve started a family but get to keep playing the sport they adore. They can remain a big kid while raising a little one. They’ve had a win in their personal lives, which means they have nothing much to lose anymore, which is why most of them perform better after maternity leave. Anyway. Here’s the lucky eight. The ones who get to wind down from a match by going coochee-coochee-coo with a bub. There’s no sacrifice, is there? Isn’t it all a blessing? Good on ’em and half their luck. They’re only supermums as long as they know where to get the Band-Aids and ice-creams.
Victoria Azarenka. Son Leo was born in 2016. She’s a two-time Open champion. Former world No.1. Seeded 18th. Drawn against Italy’s world No. 55 Camila Giorgi in round one. “I feel it’s silly to put people in boxes in terms of what they are,” she says. “A lot of people are much more than, you know, just a tennis player or a mum. My message is that you can do it all.”
Elena Svitolina. Daughter Skai was born in October, 2022. French player Gael Monfils is the father. A Wimbledon semi-finalist as a wildcard since her return, she’s playing bigger and better than ever. Seeded 19th. Drawn against young Australian wildcard Taylah Preston. “I have a team for Skai full-time taking care of her, and then I have a chance to play a little bit of tennis,” she says. “I feel like priorities have shifted little bit. I want to play and I want to win every single match. But right now, I also try to enjoy this journey and not put too much pressure on myself.”
Tatjana Maria. Left the tour in 2013 to have her daughter, Charlotte. Returned and reached a career-high ranking of world No. 46. Took another break for the arrival of her second daughter, Cecilia, in 2021. Made the Wimbledon semi-finals a year later. Unseeded. Drawn against Colombia’s world No. 79 Camila Osorio. “It makes me so proud to be a mum,” she said at Wimbledon. “It’s the best feeling in the world. I love to be a mother and I love my two kids and to be able to do this together. Everybody is so nice and supporting us … it makes it so special.”
Taylor Townsend. She was a young American prodigy. Still searching for a big breakthrough. Her son, Adyn, is nearly three. She’s 27. Unseeded. Drawn against Spain’s world No. 74 Paula Badosa. “I’m so tired,” Townsend said in an Instagram video with an ailing Adyn last year. “Sick baby means mom stays at home. Sunday I win a title. Wednesday it’s this. I’m worn out already.”
Yanina Wickmayer. Made excellent use of the pandemic. Made a baby. Her daughter, Luana, was born in 2021. Wickmayer’s a former world No. 12. Unseeded at the Open. Drawn against France’s world No. 39 Varvara Gracheva. “It’s a really special journey,” she says. “I’m really enjoying my time and the challenge I set myself. You see things differently as a mum. It gives you this strength … we become very strong women as mums. That has definitely helped me fight through some tough matches and tough moments. I’m definitely not giving up when things are not going my way. When I’m on the court I still feel the same, but I guess when things don’t go well, I can forget easier and it doesn’t take me down as much as it used to. I guess it takes less energy mentally. The ups and downs are less. It helps.”
Angelique Kerber. Her daughter, Liana, was born in February. The Open is her return to the majors. She’s been the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open champion. A former world No.1. “It’s a new chapter a little bit, so it’s something that I really want to try to enjoy,’’ she told CODE Sports. “Also with Liana on my side now, it’s something which you will always remember, that this is for me the first Australian trip with her, and it’s really special and great that I start in Australia, where I have won here. I don’t have a nanny. I have family members with me and this is a little bit easier for me as well to have the feeling that she is in good hands.’’
Naomi Osaka. Global superstar. Four-time major champion. Ex-world No.1. Unseeded. Drawn against France’s 16th-seeded Caroline Garcia. Best match of the opening round. Daughter Shai was born in July. “Becoming a mum has changed my mindset a lot,” Osaka says. “I think I’m a lot more open-minded, a lot more patient. I feel a lot stronger physically and I think Shai has definitely helped me with the way I view things. I want my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, ‘That’s my mum’.” She’s been stunned to learn one in four American women return to work a fortnight after giving birth. Because they have to. Because most Americans don’t receive paid maternity leave. “When I heard the stats, I was really shocked,” she says. “I’m lucky enough to not have to go straight into work. I needed that time to process everything that’s happened and, of course, get to know my baby. To see that there are so many women that don’t have that choice … is really sad.”
Caroline Wozniacki. Retired in 2020. Had her daughter Olivia, in 2021, and son James, in 2022. Had a hit in the backyard and enjoyed it. As she told Vogue, “It’s hard to say why, or what changed, but when my dad (and longtime coach, Piotr) saw me practice that day, and said, ‘It looks like you’re enjoying it more’ – that was exactly how I felt. I was relaxed and having fun and somehow that let me see everything more clearly.” Wozniacki announced her comeback on Instagram last year. “Over these past three years away from the game I got to make up for lost time with my family,” she wrote. “I became a mother and now have two beautiful children I am so grateful for. But I still have goals I want to accomplish. I want to show my kids that you can pursue your dreams no matter your age or role. We decided as a family it’s time. I’m coming back to play and I can’t wait.” She had a great run at last year’s US Open. At her first major in nearly four years, she reached the fourth round and took a set from Coco Gauff. “We’re all different people,” Wozniacki says. “I think it’s so cool that you choose your own path. I’m just proud that we have quite a few mums on tour that have paved the way for the future generation: it’s possible to have a family, then come back.”
The biggest challenge for Azarenka and Wozniacki as tennis players is being on the wrong side of 30. Osaka’s rustiness in match play is a larger obstacle than her little bundle of joy.
Channel 9 doesn’t need to be dumb about what it means to be a mum. It doesn’t need to repeat Channel 7’s remarks about the Matildas’ Katrina Gorry at the World Cup: “Certainly motherhood has not blunted her competitive instincts.” Why would it?! If I hear that sort of jibberish during the Open … I’m going to need a Band-Aid and an ice-cream.
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