The world of tennis has seen some incredible comebacks in recent years, with Elina Svitolina and Naomi Osaka both making their marks after returning from maternity leave. Svitolina’s post-pregnancy comeback began last year, while Osaka embarked on hers at the start of this year.
Svitolina, a Ukrainian tennis star, echoed Osaka’s sentiments about the challenges of returning from maternity leave. She described the post-pregnancy comeback as “a process” that requires both physical and mental adjustments to fall back into place. After revealing her pregnancy in the spring of 2022, the now 29-year-old Svitolina took a maternity leave before making her tournament comeback in April of 2023.
The early stages of Svitolina’s return were tough, with early losses in a couple of ITF-level tournaments. However, after two months, Svitolina started finding her rhythm again. She went on to win the Strasbourg tournament, reach the French Open quarterfinals, and make her first Wimbledon semifinal.
Meanwhile, Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion from Japan, was on her own maternity leave during Svitolina’s comeback. At the beginning of 2024, Osaka made her post-pregnancy comeback, facing similar challenges as Svitolina. Despite starting with a few early losses, Osaka has been steadily improving throughout the year.
In a recent interview in Toronto, Osaka opened up about the difficulties she faced in her return. She admitted needing time to “be comfortable in my body again” and mentioned the challenge of regaining foot speed. Svitolina also shared her own struggles, emphasizing the long process of returning to top form after pregnancy.
“It was all a process of months and months to get back into good form. Then, of course, match form is very different…a lot of stress, pressure, and different feelings are in your body, in your head,” Svitolina explained.
Both Svitolina and Osaka are showing resilience and determination in their post-pregnancy comebacks, proving that they are forces to be reckoned with on the tennis court. Their stories serve as inspiration to athletes everywhere, highlighting the challenges and triumphs of returning to sport after starting a family.
