Serena Williams is ranked back in the top 10 for first time after daughter's birth
Serena Williams took another step on the ladder back to the top of the women’s tennis circuit.
The superstar made her first appearance in the tennis rankings top 10 since she gave birth to her daughter, Olympia, in September 2017. She’s ranked No. 10 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings.
Williams, 37, is third all-time with 319 total weeks at No. 1 and fell in the rankings while away from tennis on maternity leave.
Climbing back after birth
Williams, who has 23 Grand Slam titles, lost her top ranking in the sport when she left to give birth and take maternity leave. She did not play in tournaments in order to bond with Olympia, care for the newborn and also herself recover after life-threatening complications during birth.
While she was gone, she dropped in ranking since she wasn’t playing majors. Points are earned by placing at tournaments and they expire from a player’s total after 52 weeks.
It dropped to as low as No. 491, per the Associated Press. She played the French Open in spring 2018 unseeded despite winning her last major, the 2017 Australian Open.
Williams reached two Grand Slam finals last calendar year. She lost to Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon and Naomi Osaka at the U.S. Open. The success has slowly catapulted her back to the top of the rankings, where she now sits at No. 10.
Per the WTA, she benefited from players failing to defend their ranking points in tournaments to continue moving so far up. She last played in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Osaka is ranked No. 1. Simona Halep is second and Sloane Stephens is third.
Williams inspires rule change
The WTA announced the “Special Ranking Rule” in December that allows women to “freeze” their ranking during an injury, illness or pregnancy. The ranking they held prior to the leave would stay and be usable for up to three years upon return to the game.
It also applies to women who adopt, use surrogacy or become legal guardians of a child. In those instances the rank holds for two years.
The rank will be used for seeding without displacing a seeded player. The pregnancies of Williams and Victoria Azarenka reportedly inspired the rule change.
The ruling would allow for players to start their families without worrying about losing their spot in the sport, then having to wait as points accrue to return to their ranking. It also allows a more fair draw for the players in the opening rounds who draw stiff competition, such as Williams, who are far more talented than their ranking suggests.
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