"I was very inspired by Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and all of them mothers" - Elena Vesnina on coming out of second pregnancy hiatus at 37 

Elena Vesnina recently attributed her pro tennis comeback in 2024 to Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, and Kim Clijsters - three players who achieved success after motherhood.

Vesnina, 37, was one of the most prolific players on the WTA tour in the last decade. Having turned pro in 2002, the Russian won three women's doubles and one mixed doubles Major title, reaching the pinnacle of the world rankings in 2018. She also enjoyed good results in singles, rising to as high as 13th in the world and winning her lone 1000-level event in Indian Wells in 2017.

The doubles expert had taken a sabbatical from the sport after winning a silver medal with Aslan Karatsev at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She announced her second pregnancy last March, giving birth to daughter Anna in December.

Vesnina shocked fans a few days later, disclosing that she had begun training for her return to the WTA tour. The 37-year-old recently claimed that she looked up to many of her peers who had returned to pro tennis after giving birth, insisting that they were all "heroines".

The likes of 23-time Major winner Serena Williams, former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, four-time Major winner Kim Clijsters, German veteran Tatjana Maria, and former Australian Open doubles champion Kateryna Volodko were some of the players that received kudos from the Russian mother for balancing their career and family life.

"I was very inspired by Caroline Wozniacki, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Tatjana Maria, Bondarenko, and all of them mothers who returned to the tour after having babies," Elena Vesnina told Punto De Break. "For me they are heroines, I know how much energy is needed for this, being a mother is the most difficult job in the world because it is 24/7.

"You do not receive money and you are always spending. You have to be in charge of so many things… that's why it's the most difficult job, but also the best and most rewarding," she added.

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Serena Williams reached 4 Major finals and won a WTA title as a mother

Serena Williams poses at the 2020 Women's ASB Classic with her daughter Olympia.

Serena Williams became a role model for all mothers in sports after giving birth to her first child, Olympia, in September 2017. And while the fact that the American won the Australian Open that year despite being eight weeks pregnant is already the stuff of legends, her run in 2018-22 deserves recognition as well.

The 23-time Major winner was out of action for a long time after her first pregnancy, returning to the WTA tour in mid-2018. Yet, it never felt as if the American was gone for a long time as she made two Major finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing to Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka, respectively.

Williams followed it up with two more runner-up finishes at SW19 and Flushing Meadows the following year. While she couldn't get past the final hurdle at the Majors, she did taste tour-level success as she won her first title since becoming a mother at the 2020 ASB Classic.

Serena Williams then endured a tough time on the WTA tour in 2021, following bouts with injuries and poor form. She eventually retired at the 2022 US Open after going out in three sets to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round, receiving an emotional send-off at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.