Santa Claus wasn’t the only one making special deliveries this holiday season. The stork has been busy in the elite tennis world, as several top players have recently welcomed new bundles of joy – or announced that they’re expecting.
Lindsay Davenport
Davenport is one of the few players to make a successful return to the WTA Tour following a maternity leave. In September 2007, three months after she gave birth to son Jagger, the three-time major champ rejoined the tour and went 13-1, including titles in Bali and Quebec. (Austria’s Sybille Bammer, currently ranked No. 26, is another mother who won a singles title in 2007.)
Davenport won two more titles in 2008 before her season was derailed by injury, and earlier this month had committed to playing the 2009 Australian Open, an event she won in 2000. Less than a week later, however, Davenport’s agent announced that Lindsay and her husband Jon Leach were expecting their second child and that she was “putting tennis on hold for the foreseeable future.”
Lleyton Hewitt
Hewitt and his wife of three years, Australian actress Bec Cartwright, welcomed their second child, son Cruz, on December 11 in Sydney, the couple recently announced on their website. The first baby pictures will appear in Australian OK! magazine, which reported Cartwright’s pregnancy and published an exclusive eight-page photo spread during Wimbledon.
Cruz, who shares the name of David Beckham’s youngest son, joins sister, Mia, who is 3.
Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic
The 2008 season started shakily for doubles team Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, who paired up after each split with a long-time partner. But after a short adjustment period, the tandem won Wimbledon, and by year’s end had secured the Masters Cup and the world No. 1 ranking.
Both Nestor, a Canadian, and Zimonjic, a Serb, had momentous years off-court as well. Zimonjic and his wife Mina, who were married in May, welcomed twins Luna and Leon on December 4; you can see pictures of the miniature mixed doubles team on Zimonjic’s official website. Not to be outdone, Nestor and his wife Natasha welcomed their first child, daughter Tiana Alexis, on December 15, Toronto’s Globe and Mail reported.
BarbaraSchett
The 32-year-old Austrian, who retired four years ago, is expecting her first child with her husband, former pro Joshua Eagle, Schett’s parents confirmed to Austrian sports website laloa1.at last week. Schett and Eagle, who married in July 2007, are currently living in Schett’s hometown of Tirol. They will travel on January 7 to Eagle’s native Australia, where Schett will serve as a tennis analyst for Eurosport during the Australian Open. The former world No. 7 is due in May.
Ivan Ljubicic
Ljubicic, 29, and his wife, Aida, welcomed their first child, Leonardo, in Rijeka, Croatia, on December 10. Ivan, currently the No. 44 player in the world, and Aida recently celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary.