American tennis star Sloane Stephens reminisced on having to choose between continuing her successful rise to the top in the sport or taking a pause to start a family, as her decision to freeze her eggs correlated to a decision for players to receive fertility treatment, CNN reports.
The 2017 US Open champion says that as she approached the age of 30, she was forced to choose whether to pause her career to start a family, a decision that many female athletes face. Instead of facing early retirement or taking an extended leave, Stephens had the option to freeze her eggs, making her
somewhat of a trailblazer in the eyes of her colleagues. I’m always the one that they come to to be like, ‘What happened? What did you do? Who did you use?” Stephens mentioned during an interview.“I think the conversations have now become even more open, which is amazing. Everyone’s speaking about it, everyone’s sharing their journeys because it’s helping all of us understand what everyone’s gone through so we can make the best-informed decisions.”
Her thoughts and moves didn’t go unnoticed. Recently, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour, in a landmark move, has funded a collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund
(PIF), supporting an initiative that pushed the topic of fertility in women’s tennis to the top of the priority list. Players are open to receiving grants for egg and embryo freezing and IVF treatment in addition to paid maternity and parental support, something that fellow tennis stars like Naomi Osaka have been openly vocal about.With more than two dozen active mothers competing for the WTA, according to UPI, the initiative marks the first time in the history of women’s sports that comprehensive maternity benefits are made available to independent, self-employed athletes. Starting in May 2025, PIF signed a multi-year naming rights partnership with the WTA.
In addition, the tour will provide additional protection for those undergoing egg or embryo freezing, offering an extra layer of support to enable players to return to competition after undergoing these procedures. At the same time, this represents a significant leap forward for female tennis players. The 32-year-old wishes she had had the options years ago and feels that if the fertility conversation keeps going, it would “change the trajectory” of the decisions made by female athletes in the future.
“It definitely makes a difference for the younger players now who can start thinking about it at 25 instead of 32 or 30, or even thinking about it at 20 and can make the decision by 28,” she continued.
“Those years all matter. … That younger generation of girls now will feel more comfortable talking about it, doing it; they feel supported with the ranking. It really does change the trajectory of how women in sports are making decisions for their futures.”
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