US Open Set the Changes in Seeding Policy as the Respond to Pregnancies

Wimbledon would seed Serena William. However, the US Open confirmed that they would change the seeding policy if a return from pregnancy comes into play. The changes will inevitably happen because the Official of US Open has confirmed it although they didn’t mention the name of the player individually.

This year’s US Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year in September. The official will revise the seedings if the pregnancy has a thing to do with the current rankings of the player. This statement shows the seriousness of the official to pay attention to the pregnancy issues. The USTA president and chairwoman Katrina Adams said that they would seriously revise the seedings if the pregnancy had been proven to be a factor in the rankings of the player.

The seeders didn’t give one of the 32 seeds for Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion when she came back from having a daughter on Sept.1 last year. It happened at French Open in May. Because of the maternity and pregnancy, her ranking had been down to no. 453. She could get involved in the significant tournament if she wanted to. It is because the WTA is protected ranking rule. However, when talking about the seeding, it will be up to Grand Slam organizers. They could decide whether or not giving Williams the seed.

As we know, Williams has many achievements in her entire career. Williams ended up in the semifinals of her last eight US Opens. She only missed the New York event in 2010 and 2017. Six times are the record that she has. She has been ranking in no. 183.

If she won’t make it in the Wimbledon or some crucial summer matches, it is not sure that the US Open would give her the seed. The organizers of the US Open is prepared to give her seeds. Many folks would probably think the same about the rights of every mother. The professional player who comes back from giving birth should have the equal opportunity as other women. According to the report, the official also gave a nod of this opinion. The players still deserve the seeds. Giving a birth, or starting a family shouldn’t be the reason why the player is “compromised.”

The US Open seeding protocol will now change and leverage the party of the pregnancies. Now it is essential. The official will dictate the different seeding for those who have been playing after the pregnancy.

The United States Tennis Association, Katrina Adams, admitted that the players who return from pregnancy should not be “penalized” for having a family. That sense. We have been arguing about this for years, but there has been no response from the officials about how should the seeding system work reasonably.

The public was questioning about the seeding policy since it didn’t seem fair. The USTA’s can give the good news after debating over the seeding of Williams at the last month’s French Open.

Williams was not seeded because she was on hiatus because of her pregnancy. She did not join the competition because of her condition. Williams was in the no.1 rank before giving birth. And now, she is down to no. 183.

Currently, under the WTA rules, rankings are not protected if the players are injured or pregnant. The seeds are distributed based on the player’s ranking. That means the recent win-loss records hold vital role to give the player seeds. Unfortunately, the WTA rules do not protect players who are injured or pregnant.

There is a possibility that she will be seeded in the upcoming US Open. The good news is that the US Open changes its approach to seeding the players, especially those who come back from the pregnancy. Folks criticized the officials when Williams returned to the French Open last month. For Katrina Adams, the president and chairwoman of the USTA said that it was the right thing to do. What do you think? Is it the right thing to do?