Goolagong: I would love if Serena Williams or any tennis mom won Wimbledon next year

Evonne Goolagong Cawley, the only mother to win the ladies' singles title at Wimbledon in the Open Era, says she would love for Serena Williams or any tennis mom to win the ladies singles title at the All England Club next year.

Evonne Goolagong Cawley on Serena Williams or any tennis mom winning Wimbledon

Evonne Goolagong Cawley defeated Chris Evert to win the 1980 Wimbledon singles title, which made her the first mother to win the ladies singles event at the All England Club since Britain's Dorothea Lambert Chambers in 1914 and the last mother to do so. 

Speaking to the WTA Tour website, Goolagong says, "When I came off court, I was told I was the first mother to win the singles title for 66 years. It’s now been 40 years since I won. Only two other mothers (Margaret Court and Kim Clijsters) have won Grand Slams in the Open Era. It’s just not that easy after children."

The Australian, who won 7 Grand Slam singles titles in her career, says she would love it if Serena Williams or any other tennis mom won the singles title at Wimbledon next year. "I would love it to happen. It would make mums everywhere, including this one, feel great."

Currently the mothers on the tennis circuit include Serena, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, Sania Mirza, Tatjana Maria, Mandy Minella, Kateryna Bondarenko, Evgeniya Rodina, Patricia Maria Tig and Vera Zvonareva: and Goolagong says it is great to see so many mothers competing at a high level on the tour these days. "It’s now common for women in all fields of life to return to their working roles after having children, including in sport. It’s challenging, even difficult, at the top level but I think it’s great for tennis that we have some more mums out there today. The challenges for women today are pretty much the same as they were for me, with the travel, body changes and subsequent injuries, and press and public commitments."

Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and has reached four Grand Slam finals in singles as a mother. She is chasing the record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles held by Margaret Court. She is still ranked inside the Top 10 in the world currently. Kim Clijsters returned to the circuit for the second time just prior to the tennis shutdown in March - after a gap of more than seven years. .

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2NI66Eo