Serena Williams after completing her maternity leave, returned to the tour in 2018. When she left, she was number 1 in the world. However, as per the WTA rule, she lost her rank because of prolonged inactivity. Many fans and previous players were not happy with the rule of not letting a player retain her rank after maternity leave. Chris Evert and Brad Gilbert also had a difference of opinion on this. Here’s what happened.
Brad Gilbert questioned WTA’s maternity leave rule.
Andre Agassi’s long-time coach Gilbert was not happy with the way Serena lost her seed in the US Open 2018. The former American tennis star believed it was unfair to the players to lose their ranking during the pregnancy period.
What did Gilbert say?
Here’s what he said. “I blame the WTA. I think it’s an absolute joke what they’ve done, and they should be embarrassed that they don’t have anything — injuries are different from somebody coming off of maternity leave. I think that she should have come back after her absence with the protected ranking of No. 1.’’
Evert earlier argued that maternity leave is the same as an injury break.
Replying to this, Gilbert further added, “I hate to disagree with you, Chrissie, but I honestly don’t think it’s the same as being injured. I felt like she should have come back for eight tournaments with a protected ranking and seeded ranking of No. 1, not just Serena, whoever. Whenever you come back after maternity leave, if you were 8, you should be 8.’’
Serena Williams’ debate sparked a change in the rule.
The new rule gives more flexibility and rating protection to the players returning from maternity leave. As per the new rule, a player has up to three years after the birth of her child to be eligible for a special ranking to gain entry into tournaments.