Saudi PIF Funds Paid Maternity Leave for Female Tennis Pros

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has launched a groundbreaking maternity leave program for players on the women’s tennis tour. Announced on Thursday, the initiative is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Female tennis professionals who are pregnant will receive up to 12 months of paid maternity leave. In addition, those who become parents through partner pregnancies, surrogacy, or adoption can take two months off with pay. This initiative marks a significant step forward as independent contractors and self-employed individuals typically lack such comprehensive maternity benefits.

Portia Archer, CEO of WTA, expressed that this program is both innovative and pivotal. With over 300 players eligible, the program is effective retroactively from January 1, yet the total financial cost remains undisclosed. The WTA proudly introduced this as a historic move in women’s sports, offering unparalleled maternity benefits to self-employed athletes. The program also includes provisions for fertility treatments, such as egg freezing and IVF.

This move reflects a broader trend of increasing support for maternity and parental needs in women’s sports. Currently, 25 mothers are active on the women’s tennis tour, including Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic, who recently clinched a title after her maternity leave. This has set a precedent of athletes like Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniacki, and Victoria Azarenka returning to competition post-pregnancy.

Victoria Azarenka, part of the WTA Players’ Council and instrumental in advocating for this fund, emphasizes that the program allows lower-ranked or lesser-earning players the freedom to decide when to take leave without financial pressures. Archer added that offering the necessary financial support provides athletes the liberty to choose when to start a family. Moreover, Azarenka suggests that this could encourage some athletes to embrace parenthood while continuing their sports careers.

Receiving resounding feedback from players, both mothers and non-mothers alike, the initiative is recognized as a pivotal opportunity in the sports universe and beyond, according to Azarenka. Over the years, the WTA has made strides in empowering female players, which includes encouraging women into coaching roles, fortifying safeguards, combating cyberbullying, and working towards equal prize money with men in the sport.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has significantly invested in tennis, becoming the WTA’s global partner last year amid public discussions about the country’s human rights record. Now hosting the WTA Finals and an ATP event, the fund supports both the WTA and ATP rankings. Archer noted that such benefits for players could not have materialized without this crucial partnership and funding.

In comparison, other sports have implemented maternity leave policies, such as the LPGA’s policy introduced in 2019 in golf, the NWSL and U.S. women’s national team agreements in soccer, and guaranteed full pay during maternity leave in the WNBA. For tennis, Azarenka foresees the PIF WTA Maternity Fund Program as merely the beginning of broader advancements, indicating aspirations for the program’s expansion and enhancement in the future.