Belinda Bencic: A Dream Come True at Wimbledon
WIMBLEDON, England – Swiss tennis player Belinda Bencic continues to surprise the world of tennis. After securing her match point in the second tiebreak of the day, achieving a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) victory over Mirra Andreeva, number 7 in the ranking, Bencic could not hide her joy.“It’s crazy, it’s incredible, it’s a dream come true,” said Bencic, radiant, as the crowd watched her on center court. “I tried not to think about it on match point. I was speechless. Very happy. It’s only my second Grand Slam semi-final overall, and the first at Wimbledon. So yes, just speechless, very happy.”
Belinda Bencic
This tournament has been an unforgettable experience for Bencic, who was not qualified and has had a surprising season. In November 2023, she announced her pregnancy, which temporarily removed her from the courts. After giving birth to her daughter Bella in April 2024, she returned to competition at the end of that year. While she initially participated in lower-level events, she returned to the WTA circuit in January.
Bencic exceeded her expectations by reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open and winning the title at the Abu Dhabi Open, a 500-level event, in February. However, she had to withdraw from the French Open due to an injury. Before Wimbledon, she only played one match on grass, so she was not optimistic when starting the tournament at the All England Club. In five matches, Bencic has been almost unstoppable. The 28-year-old tennis player has achieved impressive victories. On Thursday, she will play her second semifinal of her career, and the first since 2019, against Iga Swiatek, five-time Grand Slam champion. It is expected that Bencic, who was outside the top 1000 at the beginning of her comeback, will be back in the top 20 of the ranking next week.“I am very proud,” Bencic said on Wednesday. “Actually, during my whole career, I didn’t say it to myself much, but after having Bella, I really say it to myself every day, and I think that changes a lot. But, of course, I have to say that it’s not just me, I couldn’t do it without my incredible family and also my incredible team. We worked very hard on the comeback and we simply enjoy life on the circuit with Bella traveling”.
Belinda Bencic
And there is no guarantee that a player can return to the level she reached before maternity leave. While she reached four major finals upon her return, Williams, 35 at the time, was never able to capture another Grand Slam title. Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, has failed to get past the third round in a Slam since returning at the start of last season. Other former major champions like Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova made brief comebacks before announcing their retirement from the sport. (Kvitova lost in the first round at Wimbledon last week and will officially retire after the US Open).
Bencic was very aware of the difficulties of others, as well as the success of players like Elina Svitolina, who has reached an important semi-final and four quarter-finals since her return, but always planned to return. She started slowly after the birth of Bella, simply trying to feel like herself again, before stepping things up and returning to the court.Bencic knew she had a certain advantage because her husband, Martin Hromkovic, is also her fitness coach and travels with her. This meant they wouldn’t have to be separated during the season and Bella could be with both parents. Her mother also offered to accompany them during several parts of the season.
Bencic felt energetic and healthy for her first ITF tournament in October, but she still didn’t know how she would do or what goals she should set.Besides lingering doubts about the state of her game, she wasn’t even sure how to pack for the tournaments. Since babies require a lot of gear, Bencic found herself constantly checking the weather of the upcoming destinations to determine what clothes Bella would need. Once the 2025 season began, and Bencic knew they would spend at least a month in Australia, she tried to anticipate how much Bella would grow and whether they could get the milk that is available in Switzerland on the other side of the world. (They couldn’t, so they were forced to stock up on as much as they could). And, of course, there was the problem of laundry, something that every parent of a young child knows well. They try to stay in houses with washing machines as much as possible.“It was a bit of a step into the dark,” Bencic said. “I didn’t really know what to expect exactly. I was just hoping I could get back to the same level… I was a little bit worried that tennis had moved a little bit faster and that it’s now even faster, and that people are serving faster. Am I going to be able to keep up with the pace, the speed and everything? I didn’t know.”
Belinda Bencic
“It’s definitely the logistics of things that’s the most difficult,” Bencic said. “You really have to think about everything. I feel like I don’t bring anything for myself these days, but I still pack extra all the time. It’s complicated, but everything is really feasible, even if you forget something.”
Belinda Bencic
While it was a juggling act behind the scenes, Bencic made it all look easy during her run to the round of 16 in Melbourne, defeating Jelena Ostapenko in her first match and taking Coco Gauff to three sets in the fourth round. A few weeks later, she won the title in Abu Dhabi, including a decisive victory over 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the semifinals. After defeating Ashlyn Krueger in the final, she brought Bella onto the court and posed for photos with her and the trophy.
Bella is often seen at Bencic’s training sessions. During a morning session in Indian Wells in March, Bella was strapped to Martin’s chest as he stood by the fence and watched Bencic work on her serve.“It was a super nice, very special moment,” Bencic said. “I was with Martin in the press center for most of the match, but he put her in the baby carrier and brought her for the third set. I think she felt she needed support. I saw them and it really was very nice. Taking those photos with her felt so natural because we all really did it together and I was very proud of all of us.”
Belinda Bencic
However, the comeback hasn’t been entirely smooth. Bencic was unable to participate in the French Open due to an arm injury, which halted her early-season momentum. She returned at the Bad Homburg Open last month, but lost in her first-round match to Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-1, 6-2. The two met again in the round of 16 on Monday, but this time it was Bencic who overcame Alexandrova, the No. 18 seed, in straight sets.
Despite that victory, Bencic, who had never before advanced beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon, was the underdog in the quarterfinals against Andreeva, the 18-year-old phenomenon who aspired to reach the second major semifinal of her young career. But, in front of a crowd that included Queen Camilla, Bencic remained calm and serene. Even in the most tense moments of the match, Bencic forced the more aggressive Andreeva to make costly mistakes. In the tiebreaks, where Andreeva seemed more vulnerable, Bencic let her experience guide her and stuck to her game plan. It worked.
On Thursday, just a day after her biggest victory at the All England Club, Bencic will have the opportunity to reach her first major final. She has only beaten Swiatek once in five encounters and lost in their most recent match in the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2023, but she knows what she is capable of and is ready for the challenge. Swiatek, who praised Bencic’s comeback, also seemed to expect a close match.“I’m sad to have lost, but I felt she was playing well today,” said a disappointed Andreeva after the match.
Mirra Andreeva
But win or lose, Bencic knows that not much will change about her daily life, or what matters most to her, as her results on the tennis court no longer dictate her happiness.“Surely she has the game to play well here on grass,” Swiatek said on Wednesday. “Yes, I never doubted that she couldn’t come back after pregnancy. It seems like she’s in a good mood and is playing well.”
Iga Swiatek
“Before, tennis was the most important thing for me and the center of my life,” Bencic said. “I was always constantly worried and thinking about how I am playing and who I am going to play. Tennis was constantly on my mind. And now, sometimes, I go to sleep and forget that I have to play a match the next day. My work life and my private life are so separate at the moment. Now it seems really healthy to me.”
Belinda Bencic
