Players will be allowed up to three years to use their protected ranking after they have given birth in a move to help those that have taken a break from the sport for family reasons.
In an amendment to the Special Ranking rule, players now have three years to return from the date of the birth of their child. The rule also applies to players that have a medical condition. Those who have taken time away from the sport for reasons related to adoption, surrogacy or legal guardianship have a two-year period.
The change to the rules follows the return of Serena Williams in March. The 23-time grand slam champion gave birth to her first child in September 2017 and was unseeded at numerous tournaments during her comeback. Climbing from 491st in the world to back inside the top 20 within the past nine months. Supporters said the American should have had her ranking and seeding in tournaments protected.
“Our players should feel comfortable and confident to take time away from the courts to have a family or recover from injury and I think these new rules support that,” WTA Players’ Council member Victoria Azarenka said in a statement.
“This is a really good first step and we are using it as a base to continue to look for ways to improve and highlight the importance of mothers working and being on Tour.”
Another change is a greater clarification of the clothing policy. The WTA has concluded that leggings and compression shorts can be worn ‘with or without a skirt, shorts, or dress.‘ There had previously been no specific rule concerning this attire, however, the controversy of Williams’ catsuit at the French Open had prompted a review. The head of the French Tennis Federation, Bernard Giudicelli, said the outfit would be banned in future tournaments. Despite Williams saying that she was wearing it for health reasons.
“It will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place.” Said Giudicelli.
Despite the new policy on the WTA Tour, the French Open has a separate rule book they follow. Meaning that Williams’ outfit could still be banned at Roland Garros next year.
The 25 second clock will become a permanent fixture on the tour. The clock is used for players to monitor how long they take between points with the goal of speeding up matches. The shot clock will be used at all Premier events in 2019 before being applied to all WTA tournaments in 2020. The warm-up of matches will also be restricted. Once players walk onto the court they have one minute to get to the net, followed by a five-minute warm-up and one minute after to start play.
In other developments, one toilet break/change of attire will be allowed per match. The previous policy was two changes. Finally, players who reach 10 years service on the tour are allowed three additional wildcards to bring their total to nine. However, they must play at least six tournaments in a year for it to count towards the 10 year service rule.
