“Men don’t have to retire to have a family,” Carolina Wozniacki explains the downside of being a female tennis player citing Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic’s example
Caroline Wozniacki, who retired from tennis years ago, has announced her return to professional tennis after giving birth to two kids.
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Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic (left)and Carolina Wozniacki (right) (Image via: ATP and CTZ news)
Danish tennis player Carolina Wozniacki briefly explains the downside of being a female tennis player, citing Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic‘s examples. Returning to work can often be very challenging after having a child. However, it is seen that women face even more obstacles and biases when trying to reenter the workforce compared to men. This is particularly seen in the sports industry, where it’s physically more challenging to come back after becoming a mother.
Caroline Wozniacki, who retired from tennis years ago, has announced her return to professional tennis after giving birth to two kids. She became a mother for the first time in 2021 after giving birth to her daughter Olivia, and she had her second child, James, in 2022.
For the uninitiated, after retiring she worked as a commentator and an analyst for ESPN and Tennis Channel. While having a conversation with Bang and Olufsen, the tennis professional briefly opened up about her time away from the court. As per Caroline herself, career commenting and hosting broadcasts has been a great experience for her as it allows her to spend more quality time with her growing family.
Continuing her train of thoughts, she further added, “Let’s also understand: Most of the men on tour don’t have to retire to have a family—they can play through. You had Roger [Federer], who had four children while playing. Novak [Djokovic] has two, and Rafa [Nadal] has a child; [Andy] Murray has four. For the women, though, it’s mostly been either/or, and I’d like to be part of changing this,”
Carolina Wozniacki opens up about the challenges women face while balancing their professional and personal lives
As expected, Caroline’s return to tennis after three years has sparked an important conversation about the challenges women face in balancing their professional careers with starting a family. In a conversation, she highlights the double standard that exists in sports, where men are not expected to retire or take a break when they become fathers.
She also stated how she spoke to women who had to give up their dreams to be with their families. “I’ve talked with a lot of women who gave up on their own dreams because they wanted to be with their families, but somewhere deep down they have this yearning to do something they’re passionate about”
Over the past few years, we have seen players who have become mothers return to the sport including Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, and Kim Clijsters. Margaret Court came back and won three out of the four slams after giving birth. Her return serves as a reminder that women can have both, following their passion and having a family.
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Vitasta Singh
(691 Articles Published)