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The seven-time Wimbledon champion, Serena Williams, was ranked 25th for this year's tournament as she returns to the sport after giving birth to a baby girl in September.
Ending the weeks of debate, the All England Club which organizes the British Grand Slam tournament has decided to change the rules and incorporate it, instead of following the ranking list that does not take into account maternity leave .
Williams, the most titled tennis player in history who was ranked No. 1 when she took her maternity leave, is ranked 183rd in the world after returning to the tour in March.
She tweeted Monday: "7 days before Wimbledon.It's hard to believe that I've been playing my first title in London for 16 years, and what I remember most about this day is the true happiness and support of my competitor, big sister and best friend @Venuseswilliams. "
Williams has a 9-month-old daughter Alexis with her husband Alexis Ohanian.
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Williams, 36, told "Good Morning America" previously that it was "interesting" to watch the world of tennis adjust its rules for new moms.
"Unfortunately, in the 90s they changed the rule whereas if you were hurt [and] then you came back, you lose your seeding, "said Williams." But they never took into account the women who left the No. 1 [because of pregnancy] "And did not leave for an injury, but to have a good life and not give up tennis, but to return."
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Katrina Adams, president of the American Tennis Association, agrees. Players should not be "penalized" for starting a family, she recently told the New York Times.
"We think it is a good message for our current and future players," she said before today 's decision. "It's good to go out and be a woman and become a mother, then come back to your job, and I think that's a bigger message."
Williams has an ally with John McEnroe, the legendary American tennis player and three-time Wimbledon champion, who now sits on the seeded tournament committee. For him, it's a simple decision.
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"I do not think there would be a player who would complain, especially the best, if it was one of the top eight," he said before the decision. "Why in the world would they want to play it on the first, second, third round?" They should not, either, in my opinion. "
Australian Open champion, Caroline Wozniacki, said she totally supports Williams.
"She is the greatest player of all time, having won so many Grand Slam tournaments and being number one for so many years," she said before the decision today. hui. "She deserves a seedling."
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Williams played at the French Open in May, and eventually retired from the Grand Slam in the fourth round because of an injury. Wimbledon runs from July 2nd to 15th.
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