Tennis: Should there be ranking protection for players missing matches through pregnancy?

In 2017, a 36-year-old Serena Williams beat sister Venus to capture her 23rd Grand Slam title. 

The win propelled Williams back up to number one in the world. Yet, in April that year, she revealed she was 20 weeks pregnant and thus taking time away from tennis. 

Given the timing of the announcement, it was inferred that Williams was about two months pregnant when she beat Venus in Melbourne. 

Remarkably, the American returned to competitive tennis less than a year later in February 2018. 

However, as a result of the way the WTA’s ranking system works, the former world number one had dropped to 453rd in the world. 

Naturally, this prompted the discussion as to whether those who are absent from the game because of pregnancy should receive special dispensation to protect their ranking? 

Consequently, the WTA revealed players who had taken maternity leave and injured players would be able to enter 12 tournaments over the next three years, in line with their ranking prior to their leave of absence. 

Is this really enough though? Or should those who miss matches because of pregnancy be better safeguarded when it comes to ranking? 

The debate has long provoked reasonable arguments on both sides. When Williams returned to tennis, Wimbledon decided to seed her 25th for the 2018 tournament, despite the US star being ranked 181st at the time. 

Some praised the decision, while others pointed out that Williams’ seeding resulted in Dominika Cibulková being unseeded–– though the Slovakian did still reach the quarter-finals. 

Williams made the final of Wimbledon that year, highlighting that she was evidently still one of the best players in the world and that her ranking was not at all representative of her form or ability. 

The nature