Aryna Sabalenka has shared her wish to have a baby and then return to competition (Image: YouTube Australian Open)
has shared her retirement plan as she revealed her intentions to take a pregnancy break.
The world No. 1 is back at the , seeking a three-peat after winning the tournament in 2024 and 2023.
But she is already looking ahead to the future as she revealed her wish to have a baby.
Sabalenka has cemented herself as the woman to beat on a hard court. Last year, she won the and US Open and returned to No. 1 in the world after a brief stint atop the rankings in 2023.
While she is at the top of her game, the 26-year-old believes she is already nearing retirement age and has a plan for the future.
“Being a professional athlete, I’m kind of getting really close to my retirement,” the Belarusian said after arriving in Melbourne for the first Major of the season.
“Can you believe that? People retire at 30!”
Aryna Sabalenka is bidding to win her third successive Australian Open title (Image: Getty)
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Asked when she was planning to retire, Sabalenka then shared her hopes of having a baby. The 18-time title winner replied: “I don’t know, it’s a tough question.
“I hope I’ll have [a] family. I love kids, I want to have kids, and I don’t want my first kid at 35, you know?”
But the world No. 1 would like to return to the sport after having her first child. She continued: “The way I see it, I really want to have a kid and then come back.
“And I want my kid to see how hard you should work in life to get things. So yeah, I don’t know, that’s a very deep conversation we are having!”
If Sabalenka does choose to have a baby and return to the tour, she will be motivated by the other mums on the WTA Tour. Naomi Osaka had her first baby in July 2023 when she was aged just 25.
The four-time Major winner returned to competition a year ago and has since climbed into the world’s top 60 again. Elina Svitolina welcomed her first child in 2022 and returned to competition in April 2023.
She won the title in Strasbourg a few weeks later, and reached the French Open quarter-final and the semi-final.
Serena Williams famously won the 2017 while pregnant with her first child. After making a comeback in 2018, she reached four Grand Slam finals and returned to the top 10.
Kim Clijsters won back-to-back US Open titles in 2009 and 2010 after having her first daughter, Jada. Meanwhile, Olympic champion Belinda Bencic has also just returned from pregnancy.