New priority, same goal – Bencic aims for comeback in November at the Billie Jean King Cup – Sport

Belinda Bencic’s return to the tennis tour is getting closer. In the “Sportpanorama” she talks about her comeback plans.

Belinda Bencic became a mother for the first time almost 5 months ago. While her daughter Bella learns and discovers new things every day, her mother is working hard on her comeback on the big tennis stage. As Bencic told “Sportpanorama”, the long road back to the WTA tour began around two months after the birth with the first light exercise sessions.

Since then, the 27-year-old has been able to increase the intensity continuously, always under the supervision of her fitness coach and life partner Martin Hromkovic, who is responsible for load management. “I have to listen carefully to my body.” After all, I’m still breastfeeding. “We’re now communicating even more than we already were,” says Bencic.

Comeback in November?

The Tokyo Olympic champion currently does tennis training in the mornings, and then fitness training in the afternoons. “I spend the rest of the time with Bella, either swimming with babies or playing,” says Bencic.

The Eastern Swiss player does not know exactly when she will be able to compete on the court. The current situation requires a lot of flexibility and spontaneity, says Bencic. But she does have a wish for her comeback in mind: “I want to play in the Billie Jean King Cup in November,” reveals Bencic. The Swiss team will then face Serbia at home in the playoffs.

But he is already looking further ahead. This year, Bencic wants to gain experience of what it is like to travel to tournaments with his family and to compete in them: “I need that to be ready for the Australian Open.” The Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne is the first big highlight of the new season.

The big goal remains the major title

Speaking of the Grand Slam: Winning one of the four major tournaments remains Bencic’s ultimate goal. Motherhood should not be an obstacle on the way there, quite the opposite. “I can now separate my private life and my career better, my priority is Bella and tennis is almost secondary.” In the past, I often fought against myself on the court. “It may be that this will relieve me of some of the pressure,” believes Bencic.

And finally adds: “I still believe that I can win a Grand Slam tournament.”