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**Jon Woodgate** · 08-31-2009, 12:35 AM

Two nice stories in today's Style section.

Success in Singles for a Doubles Team

Although mothers are no rarity in women’s sports — especially basketball and golf — in tennis, without a team-sport support system or golf’s longer career span, motherhood is forbidding. Since the 1970s, only 10 women have returned to the women’s pro tour after giving birth, and they typically were older, established stars.

So Ms. Bammer, an Austrian who had never pushed her world ranking higher than No. 238, retired when she became pregnant, packing away her rackets to have the baby with her boyfriend, Christophe Gschwendtner.

“I knew that Christophe was the right man for me so I said, of course, I want to have the child,” Ms. Bammer said. Their daughter, Tina, was born July 21, 2001. Ms. Bammer happily stayed home with her in Ottensheim, an Austrian village of about 4,500 people, for the following year. She thought her career was over.

Until Mr. Gschwendtner reminded her that she was only 21; if she wanted to try tennis one more time, he would quit his job to be the primary caretaker while she returned to the grind of the tour.

At 29, when most players have burned out and retired, Ms. Bammer is entering the United States Open, which begins Monday, ranked No. 29 in the world, a tribute to her perseverance and the commitment her boyfriend made.

“So many people made jokes” back home about Mr. Gschwendtner’s role as Mr. Mom, Ms. Bammer recalled last week, curled up on one of the twin beds of the family’s cramped hotel room in New Haven, where she played in the Pilot Pen tournament. Tina, now 8, lay horizontal across her lap.
(...)
Contrary to the standard tale of tennis’s rich and famous, Ms. Bammer is more an example of the routine life complexities of a young working mother. Her and Mr. Gschwendtner’s story is about sacrifice and support, resulting in a climb from the impoverished depths of Ms. Bammer’s sport to earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/fa...=1&ref=fashion

08-31-2009, 12:35 AM	#1
Jon Woodgate Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 443 Senior Member	NY Times and Women's Tennis - JJ and Sybille Two nice stories in today's Style section. Success in Singles for a Doubles Team Although mothers are no rarity in women’s sports — especially basketball and golf — in tennis, without a team-sport support system or golf’s longer career span, motherhood is forbidding. Since the 1970s, only 10 women have returned to the women’s pro tour after giving birth, and they typically were older, established stars. So Ms. Bammer, an Austrian who had never pushed her world ranking higher than No. 238, retired when she became pregnant, packing away her rackets to have the baby with her boyfriend, Christophe Gschwendtner. “I knew that Christophe was the right man for me so I said, of course, I want to have the child,” Ms. Bammer said. Their daughter, Tina, was born July 21, 2001. Ms. Bammer happily stayed home with her in Ottensheim, an Austrian village of about 4,500 people, for the following year. She thought her career was over. Until Mr. Gschwendtner reminded her that she was only 21; if she wanted to try tennis one more time, he would quit his job to be the primary caretaker while she returned to the grind of the tour. At 29, when most players have burned out and retired, Ms. Bammer is entering the United States Open, which begins Monday, ranked No. 29 in the world, a tribute to her perseverance and the commitment her boyfriend made. “So many people made jokes” back home about Mr. Gschwendtner’s role as Mr. Mom, Ms. Bammer recalled last week, curled up on one of the twin beds of the family’s cramped hotel room in New Haven, where she played in the Pilot Pen tournament. Tina, now 8, lay horizontal across her lap. (...) Contrary to the standard tale of tennis’s rich and famous, Ms. Bammer is more an example of the routine life complexities of a young working mother. Her and Mr. Gschwendtner’s story is about sacrifice and support, resulting in a climb from the impoverished depths of Ms. Bammer’s sport to earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/fa...=1&ref=fashion
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