Less than a year after stepping away from professional tennis, former world No. 4 Caroline Garcia and her husband, Borja Duran, announced they are expecting their first child. The couple shared the news in a joint social-media post showing them walking along the beach at the Hotel Fairmont Mayakoba Riviera Maya in Mexico, wearing blue and holding sonogram photos. The images and caption made clear they wanted to celebrate the moment together.

Garcia, 32, married Duran last summer in Spain. The pair have also collaborated off court as producers of the “Tennis Insider Club” podcast, which debuted in 2024, and the new arrival will be the first family addition since they launched the show.

Reaction from peers in the WTA community was warm. The news was received positively by players including Paula Badosa, Barbora Krejcikova and Jasmine Paolini, along with former world No. 1 Garbiñe Muguruza, who just had a son, and Ons Jabeur, who will welcome a son next month. Those responses underscored Garcia’s standing among colleagues and the wider women’s tour.

The couple did not explicitly state the baby’s gender, though their coordinated blue outfits in the announcement photos prompted speculation. Beyond the public announcement, the post focused on family and the next chapter of life away from the weekly demands of tour travel.

For Garcia, who reached a career-high ranking of world No. 4, this marks a significant personal milestone in the months after retirement. For listeners of their podcast, and for followers who have tracked her career, the pregnancy announcement is a reminder that many athletes reshape their priorities after leaving the tour. Garcia and Duran’s joint reveal blends personal joy with the same direct, collaborative approach they brought to their media project.

Ons Jabeur has made clear she plans to resume her career on the WTA tour after becoming a mother. The Tunisian, who is expecting her first child, a son, next month, spoke about parenthood in a maternity-focused feature in the March issue of Vogue Arabia.

In an interview with Christine van Deemter for Arab Mother’s Day, celebrated on March 21, Jabeur reflected on the transition ahead. “I want to give myself the time to see how my body will react,” she says, and she told the magazine she wants to “compete for a couple of more years.” She described preparing for parenthood as “a journey full of surprises” shared with her husband Karim Kamoun, and said advice from former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters has helped her prepare to be a mother while remaining on the tour.

Jabeur has long been open about her hopes for a family. In a 2023 documentary she said losing that year’s Wimbledon final to Marketa Vondrousova was particularly painful because she had hoped a victory would allow her to get pregnant and take maternity leave. “So not only not winning Wimbledon, but the idea of having a baby vanished with the trophy,” she said then.

Now, weeks before she is due to become a parent, Jabeur put the sport in perspective. “I always knew that tennis is important, but not the most important thing in life,” she says now, just weeks ahead of welcoming “the best title I won in my life.” She added, “I always say my game reflects my character,” and continued: “That’s who I am. Being a kid is fun, and I want our son to have that. I want him to be creative, to make jokes. Most important is that he’s a good person and makes a change in the world.”

The feature also touches on figurative motherhood in Jabeur’s plans to influence the next generation through her new eponymous foundation and tennis academy in Dubai.

The United States Tennis Association has appointed Craig Tiley as its next Chief Executive Officer. Tiley leaves a 13-year tenure as Chief Executive of Tennis Australia and more than a decade as the Australian Open Tournament Director, a role he held since 2006.

Tiley returns to American tennis after a long history in the U.S. collegiate game. As Head Coach of the University of Illinois men’s team from 1994 to 2005 he guided the squad to a perfect 32–0 season and the 2003 NCAA Division I National Championship. He was twice named the Wilson/ITA Division I National Coach of the Year and is an inductee of the ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.

He assumes leadership of the USTA while the organization advances a stated mission of “Growing tennis to inspire healthier people and communities everywhere” and pursues a goal of reaching 35 million players in the United States by 2035. Participation in the U.S. rose to 27.3 million players in 2025, marking a sixth consecutive year of growth. Since 2019 tennis in America has expanded by 54 percent, adding nearly 10 million players, with recent increases attributed to more play occasions, stronger player retention and rising participation by women and communities of color.

“From the very beginning of this process, our top priority was identifying the right leader to accelerate participation growth and help us achieve our goal of reaching 35 million players by 2035,” said USTA Board Chair and interim Co-CEO Brian Vahaly.

“Craig brings a rare combination of global credibility at the highest level of the sport and a proven commitment to growing the game at the grassroots. That balance is exactly what this moment requires. As we look to fully leverage the power of the US Open as a platform for inspiration and growth, Craig’s leadership and understanding of the entire tennis ecosystem will be invaluable. We are excited to build on our current momentum of six consecutive years of participation growth, and we are confident he is the right leader to guide American tennis into its next chapter.”

Tiley acknowledged the appointment: “I am truly honored to step into the role of CEO of the USTA later this year,” Tiley said in a press release provided by the USTA. “I’ve long admired the organization’s leadership in growing the game across the United States and the extraordinary success of the US Open. Tennis has shaped my life—personally and professionally—and having begun my tennis journey in the U.S. as an NCAA championship coach, this opportunity feels like a full-circle moment. I’m excited to return to American tennis and to work alongside our leadership locally and nationally to continue building the sport’s reach, impact, and future.”

At Tennis Australia, Tiley oversaw notable participation gains: tennis became the nation’s second most participated sport, growth of 8.3 percent in 2025, tripling of online court bookings over five years, 30 percent overall participation growth in five years, a 44 percent increase in coach membership and a 60 percent rise in female coaches to 33 percent of the coaching workforce. “Leading this team has been the privilege of my life. I am incredibly proud that Tennis Australia is now recognised globally as the player’s partner and the benchmark for the sport, events and entertainment,” Tiley said in a press release provided by Tennis Australia.

“Under Craig’s leadership, participation and engagement with our sport has gone from strength to strength,” said Tennis Australia Chair Chris Harrop. “Tennis is very much front of mind for many Australians—from the Hot Shots program and social tennis through to club and competitive play, and the excitement of recent innovations like the One Point Slam. ]