Twenty-three-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams faces Russia's Evgeniya Rodina at Wimbledon on Monday in what The New York Times described as a "a rare tennis meeting of mothers."
This year's singles group includes a total of six mothers, many of whom are outspoken advocates of changing the way the Women's Tennis Association treats motherhood. Former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, for example, has fought to grant women returning from maternity leave seeding considerations; Wimbledon took steps to give 183rd-ranked Williams the No. 25 seed as she has returned from maternity leave.
"[W]e are all women and life is not just about tennis," explained Kristina Mladenovic of France. "It's very great to see."