It will be 'Mother's Day' on Wimbledon's Centre Court on Monday when Serena Williams takes on fellow mum Evgeniya Rodina for a place in the quarter-finals. That showdown means it is guaranteed that a mother will feature in the last eight of the singles championships for the first time since Kim Clijsters made it that far in 2010 accompanied by her then two-year-old toddler Jada.
Williams' 10-month-old baby, Alexis Olympia, will have no idea what all the fuss is about on Monday. But Rodina's five-year-old daughter, Anna, will hopefully be able to hang onto some memories of the day. Williams and Rodina are the final two mothers still standing in the singles draw out of the six who came out swinging their rackets a week ago.
Clijsters's triumph at the 2009 U.S. Open proved that it was possible to combine roles of a good mother with that of a champion athlete. "There are plenty of mothers on tour right now. It makes me proud, " Clijsters told Reuters. "It makes me feel like I had some inspiration and was able to inspire other players to do that. Players know it's possible to come back after they have a kid if they want to, the choice is theirs."
Players opting to take a maternity break are offered assistance by the WTA governing body, be it medical or psychological. The WTA's senior director for athlete assistance, Kathy Martin, said "a travelling troop of physiotherapists, massage therapists, medical advisors and psychologists" are on hand to offer assistance to any player during or after pregnancy.
————— 文章来源 / 路透社
fellow/ˈfeloʊ/
adj. 同样的
e.g.
my fellow citizens
showdown/ˈʃoʊdaʊn/
n. 对决
feature/ˈfiːtʃər/
v. 在...中有重要地位
e.g.
Olive oil features prominently in this dish.
draw/drɔː/
n. （网球的）赛事，签表
racket/ˈrækɪt/
n. 球拍
triumph/ˈtraɪʌmf/
n. 巨大的成功或胜利
maternity/məˈtɜːrnəti/
adj. 与怀孕和生育相关的
e.g.
maternity leave/paternity leave
physiotherapist/ˌfɪzioʊˈθerəpɪst/
n. 理疗医师
take on
迎战，挑战
all the fuss
大惊小怪
e.g.
Why all the fuss?
hang onto
抓住，保留
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