As Belinda Bencic practiced on Monday at the Credit One Charleston Open, hitting partners and coaches were joined on court by a very special “assistant.”
She toddled around with a tennis ball in one hand and a tiny racquet in the other, waving at onlookers.
Bencic’s daughter, Bella, is nearly 2 years old and has become a presence on the WTA Tour, playing soccer with men’s star Jannik Sinner in Miami last week and keeping Mom company on the road.
Mom and daughter are together this week on Daniel Island as Bencic, 29 and ranked No. 12 in the world, tries to add another Charleston championship to her resume.
Bencic, from Switzerland, won in Charleston in 2022, won twice more on the WTA Tour in 2023 and then gave birth to Bella in April of 2024. Her comeback has been a rousing success, as she won twice more in 2025 to get to 10 career titles and was named the WTA Tour’s comeback player of the year.
Now, she’s focused on enjoying life with Bella as much as she can before things like school and home routines begin to beckon.
“I choose to bring Bella really to every tournament,” said Bencic, who is the No. 3 seed at the Charleston Open. “So I spend so much time with her, and I’m really grateful to have people around me that help me to do that, to play and to bring Bella also.”
Bencic is able to perform the everyday tasks such as waking her daughter up in the morning and putting her to bed at night, which she does not take for granted.
“For me, it’s a huge privilege to do that and still be able to kind of continue to do my job,” she said.
Just last year, the WTA announced the PIF WTA Maternity Fund Program, through which WTA players for the first time receive paid maternity leave up to 12 months and have access to grants for fertility treatments to build families, as well as other benefits.