Player-mothers advocate for childcare resources equal to those of the ATP tour

LONDON -- It's no secret that Serena Williams' 2018 return to the professional tennis tour is highly anticipated; but one group of players is awaiting the day with more expectation than most: moms.

There are currently only five moms -- former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Tatjana Maria of Germany, Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine, Evgeniya Rodina of Russia and Casey Dellacqua of Australia -- competing on the WTA tour. All are here in Wimbledon, and most are taking advantage of the childcare provided by each of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

"The one here at Wimbledon is the best," Maria told ESPN.com after her second-round loss to American Coco Vandeweghe on Thursday. "They open at 11 and you can bring your child, leave them until the end of the day and they eat together and do activities."

Outside of the Slams, however, the WTA does not provide daycare for its players. On the flip side, the ATP, which boasts more than 20 dads competing on its tour, including four of the top five seeds here at Wimbledon, provides nursery facilities for players traveling with their children.

"It's crazy. I don't understand why we don't have the same," said Maria, who returned to the tour three years ago, six months after her daughter, Charlotte, was born and knowing she and her husband would have to figure out childcare on their own. "In our cases, Victoria [Azarenka] and me, we are super lucky. She has her boyfriend and I have my husband, who takes care of our child. It's nice to have a family on the tour, but if you don't have help, it's impossible. It's our job to play tennis. We are not like the men. It'd be nice to have some help from the WTA."

Azarenka, who gave birth to her son, Leo, in December, returned to the tour in Mallorca in late June, and quickly began advocating for such changes. "From my own power, I'll do anything to make that happen," Azarenka said in her postmatch news conference on Wednesday. "The guys have that luxury of having the nurseries at every event, and I think it's time for women to have the same benefit. I think for women, it's much more important and harder. I have already been talking about this point to some of the people in WTA."

Adding Azarenka's name to the short but growing list of tour moms, her fellow players hope, will push the WTA to make changes that create a more nurturing atmosphere for players with children. The addition of the winningest player in Grand Slam history next year shouldn't hurt their cause, either.