'When mothers thrive, communities flourish': An open letter from WTA players and legends

From the pioneers who built women's tennis to the stars defining it today, this letter brought them all to the same page -- because some things matter more than tennis.

This Mother's Day in France, during one of the most-watched sporting events in the world (Roland Garros), the WTA community -- united behind the WTA Foundation's Global Women's Health Fund and the Foundation's partnership with UNICEF -- is signing a powerful public open letter affirming a shared belief: that every mother deserves access to the care and support needed for a healthy pregnancy.

The full letter and list of signatories will be published on WTA's social channels on May 31 -- Mother's Day in France -- with Elina Svitolina lending her voice to bring the words to life.

The letter reads:

Mothers Everywhere Can't Wait.
Neither Can We.

This Mother's Day, we stand together as athletes, daughters and advocates to recognize the strength, resilience and irreplaceable impact of mothers everywhere.

We know what it means to compete for every point. But millions of women around the world are striving for something far more important: a safe pregnancy, a healthy birth and a child who gets a healthy start in life.

Together, we've helped the WTA Foundation's Global Women's Health Fund support 1.5 million women with lifesaving resources -- and we're committed to going further.

That's why today, we are calling on you to act -- because when mothers thrive, communities flourish, and no mother should face this alone.

Building on the WTA’s legacy of breaking barriers for women in both sport and health, this letter serves as a call for access to essential maternal health and nutrition resources for women and babies worldwide.  

For Svitolina, the decision to get involved was deeply personal.

"Becoming a mother changes the way you see everything," she said. "Health and nutrition suddenly feel like the most fundamental things in the world, and when you realize how many women globally lack access to even the most basic resources for a healthy pregnancy, it puts everything into perspective."

She added that for her, the responsibility was clear.

"I have always believed athletes have a responsibility to use their platforms for something meaningful," she said."And maternal health is one of those areas where relatively small interventions, like access to prenatal vitamins, can genuinely change the course of someone's life."

When asked what motivated her to be the voice of the letter, her answer was immediate.

"When you believe in something, lending your voice feels like the least you can do," she said.

She pointed to the broader ecosystem of support that the WTA has built.

"Reading this letter felt like a natural extension of everything the organization already stands for, and everything I believe as a woman and a mother," she said.

The timing, she explained, was intentional and meaningful.

"Mother's Day has already been celebrated across so many countries in the weeks leading up to this," she said. "Roland Garros felt like the perfect place to bring it all together, with the world's attention on Paris, as a natural way to culminate that journey and honor mothers everywhere, here and around the globe."

The letter is backed by more than words. The WTA Foundation's Global Women's Health Fund, launched in 2024, has already raised funds to help support 1.5 million women and their babies worldwide with improved access to prenatal vitamins through the Foundation's partnership with UNICEF, a figure that reflects the scale of both the need and the impact that is possible when sport mobilizes with purpose.

Across five decades of WTA history, the names on this letter tell a story of their own: trailblazers, champions and advocates who have spent their careers proving what women are capable of when they have the opportunity and resources to thrive. The Global Women's Health Fund was created with the belief that every woman and girl, no matter where she lives or under what circumstances, has a right to good health and nutrition. To learn more and lend your support, visit womenchangethegame.com.

UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, organization, product or service.