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The news of Belinda Bencic's decision to compete at the Billie Jean King Cup despite being pregnant has drawn amusing reactions from fans.
Last week, Bencic confirmed that she was set to welcome her first child with boyfriend Martin Hromkovic, who is a professional soccer player from Czechoslovakia and the Swiss star's fitness coach.
Belinda Bencic took to Instagram to share the news, along with a few pictures of herself and Hromkovic.
“Expecting our little miracle soon! We can’t wait to meet you,” she wrote in her post.
It has only been a few days since the Olympic gold medalist announced the news of her pregnancy and she is already gearing up for a return for the Billie Jean King Cup to lead Switzerland.
The news of Belinda Bencic participating in the tournament while pregnant has surprised fans, with one of them making a sarcastic remark, asking for someone to remind her that she is pregnant.
“can someone inform her that she’s pregnant??” the fan wrote.
Another user praised Bencic's decision to prioritize her country over everything else.
“Country comes before baby,” the user wrote.
A fan advocated how pregnant women are capable of doing anything rather than staying idle at home. They wrote:
“Maybe, just maybe, pregnant women can be capable individuals who can do stuff other than just sitting at home?”
Here are a few more reactions:
A look at the teams participating in Billie Jean King Cup 2023
The Billie Jean King Cup is all set to begin on Tuesday, November 7, and conclude on Sunday, November 12.
The top 12 national teams will come together to fight for the cup. The teams have been divided into four groups — Group A has Switzerland, Czechia, and USA; Group B has Australia, Kazakhstan, and Slovenia, Group C has Spain, Canada, and Poland, and Group D has France, Italy, and Germany.
The Switzerland team won the Cup for the very first time last year. The Swiss Fed Cup captain Heinz Gunthardt is quite confident about the team defending the title, He said (via billiejeankingup.com):
“We are going to try and defend this title and prove to ourselves that we are capable of doing it. At the same time, there is a little less pressure; we’re not grabbing after something which is elusive,” Gunthardt said.
“We have done it and know we are good enough to take this hurdle. Of course, the hurdle is high, but we are fielding a team again that is competitive,” he added.
