Seedings change for pregnant players
The US Open is set to become the first grand slam tennis tournament to update their seeding policy to take into account players returning post-pregnancy.
United States Tennis Association president Katrina Adams indicated in an interview with The New York Times that the ball was rolling on altering the rules for the Flushing Meadows event, which starts on August 27.
‘‘It’s the right thing to do for these mothers that are coming back,’’ Adams said, adding that players returning to the court after giving birth should not be ‘‘penalised’’.
WTA rules do not protect the rankings of female athletes who missed playing time due to an injury or maternity leave, but grand slam events can change their seeding rules without the WTA’s approval.
‘‘We have the right and the opportunity to seed the players according to what we feel is justified,’’ Adams said.
The news comes just weeks after the French Open came under fire for how it handled the ranking of Serena Williams.
The world No 1 was unseeded at Roland Garros due to her absence to give birth to daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian last September. The 23-time major champion didn’t play professionally for over a year, causing her WTA ranking to drop to No 183.
Williams reached the fourth round before pulling out with a pectoral muscle injury, but she shouldn’t face quite the same uphill battle at Wimbledon in a fortnight.
The officials of the grasscourt event take other factors into consideration and have leeway to grant Williams a seeded place.