Just fourteen months after giving birth to her daughter Bella, Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic has put together her best-ever run at Wimbledon, a tournament where she was the junior champion in 2013 and has been playing on the senior level since 2014. It’s been a long time coming for the Tokyo Olympic champion. On Thursday, the 28-year-old broke through the barrier in two supremely tough sets against a player who is a decade younger to her in Mirra Andreeva, prevailing over the 7th seed from Russia 7-6(3) 7-6(2) to reach her second Grand Slam final and the first at the most famous Major on tour. “It’s crazy, I am speechless,” a pleased-as-punch Bencic said on court after her win.
The smile says it all ♥️#Wimbledon | @BelindaBencic pic.twitter.com/rzIyrz2Gy7
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A former world No 4, Bencic’s rankings fell out of the Top 1000 last year as she took a maternity break. She started the year just inside the world’s top 500. Now, after her sensational run to the Wimbledon semifinal, she is set to reenter the Top 20. It’s been a breakthrough year, and especially more enjoyable with Bella by her side. The only mother left in the singles draw had four match points after Andreeva double-faulted in the second tiebreak on Centre Court and needed only the one, sealing victory with a smash at the net. The first Swiss woman to make it to the last four since Martina Hingis in 1998 will now play Poland’s five-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek for a place in the final.
On court, she spoke about how having Bella has helped her find a self-belief that was perhaps not quite there before. She has been reminding herself to be proud of what she has achieved. “I’m proud of myself, I never said this much to myself before Bella, but now I tell myself this every day. It’s not only me, I wouldn’t be able to do it without my amazing family and team. We worked so hard on the comeback. We are enjoying life on tour and to play great is a bonus. I’m generally just really happy to be able to play again because my body allows it.” Bencic made her return to tennis after a 13-month break, back in October last year, and has slowly built herself back up to the elite level.
Later in the press conference, she said having Bella around her on tour hasn’t taken her focus away from the tasks at hand, perhaps even made it easier. “I think it’s just really natural at this point,” she said. “It’s not something that takes away my focus. Sometimes I think it’s even better when I’m not too focused. I don’t feel so nervous before the match, and I’m just doing what I have to do. It’s not something that is calculated, I would say. It’s just very natural. I am able to switch on when I’m on the court and be focused.”
Andreeva outlasted
Andreeva, 18, fired four aces in the opening set to none for Bencic but there was next to nothing between the closely-matched pair until the Russian netted a couple of forehands in the ensuing tiebreak. Bencic then had two break points at 4-4 in the second set, Andreeva saving one before hitting long to go 5-4 down and leaving the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion to serve for the match.
Andreeva refused to follow the script, however, and broke straight back to 5-5 before going to 6-5 with Bencic then serving to take the match to another tiebreak. The Swiss raced to a 6-2 lead and wasted no further time with the match already entering its third hour, despite hobbling slightly with what she said later was a cracked toenail.
Earlier this year, Bencic won Abu Dhabi, her first title since her return from maternity leave four months ago. As she posed for photos, she held the trophy in one hand and Bella on the other. Her husband Martin Hromkovic, who is also her fitness trainer, posted a photo collage of her holding the Abu Dhabi trophy in 2023 and 2025, with a caption: “9 months postpartum. Amazing what the Female body can achieve. As a S&C coach this was the biggest Challenge for me as of yet. Learning, listening to the Athlete and making a plan and preparing the physical Comeback for the highest level. We are not there yet. But we are further than yesterday.”
“It’s tough to describe into words,” Bencic said after the Abu Dhabi final. “I think only us know what we went through as a family. We are so appreciative and blessed to have Bella in our lives. And then also to be able to still do what I want to do. And then also, like, having the good results on top of that. So the emotions were about feeling incredibly grateful, blessed. And just a mini dream come true. Right after Abu Dhabi, Bencic hinted at having much bigger goals for this new phase of her career and she doesn’t stand in her own way anymore.
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“But I have to say I basically won in life. I’m here in tournaments and it feels much more relaxed. It feels like I can play a little bit more clear and with less pressure on myself. I feel like I was always the one standing a little bit in the way of trying to do too well. So right now, I’m really working and I still feel like I can reach more things.”
(With Reuters inputs)
