After welcoming her first child in 2024, Bencic returned to the WTA Tour by winning a WTA125 (Challenger) tournament in Angers in December 2024. The 28-year-old Swiss continued her strong return in early 2025, winning the WTA 500 tournament in Abu Dhabi before making it all the way in Tokyo at the end of 2025. She also reached her first semi-final at Wimbledon this year – where she was also defeated by eventual champion Iga Swiatek.
Bencic, who was outside the top 1000 when she launched her post-pregnancy comeback, has since returned to No. 11 in the world.
Woodbridge: Bencic is one of the best players without a Grand Slam… I hope she achieves that
“I agree [she should win comeback player of the year]. Vondrousova is probably close, but looking at both of them over the past few years, and their life journeys. Vondrousova, I know she got hurt, but I saw her lose interest for a while; she just couldn’t maintain the intensity. After she won Wimbledon, she found it harder,” Woodbridge said on The Tennis Podcast.
“Whereas Belinda Bencic just wanted to come back and succeed after having her child, and it just seemed right to me. She goes for me too, and I hope she achieves that. I think she’s one of the best players who never won a major.”
Although Bencic has been one of the best players in women’s tennis over the past decade, she only has two Grand Slam semi-finals on her resume. In addition to a semi-final at Wimbledon this year, the former world number 4 also reached the semi-finals of the 2019 US Open.
Bencic’s biggest victory remains capturing the gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
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