'Waiting for a miracle': Veornika Kudermetova announces pregnancy
Veronika Kudermetova has played many roles on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, from singles contender to doubles champion. Now, she’s preparing for her newest role yet, announcing on Tuesday that she and husband Sergei Demekhine are expecting their first child.
Kudermetova has been sidelined for the entire season after a banner 2025 campaign in doubles, where she and Elise Mertens won Wimbledon and the year-end WTA Finals. But the 29-year-old -- who has been ranked in the Top 10 of both singles and doubles in the PIF WTA Rankings -- revealed in January that she would be on the sidelines for an extended period in 2026 after an undisclosed surgery on New Year's Eve. She called the reason why "my personal little secret" in a lengthy statement posted to social media, but spoke openly about the decision to step away from tennis and prioritize her health.
“Many of you know that the last two or three years have been very difficult for me: either injuries, then searching for something new in my tennis, then finding motivations for myself," she wrote.
"In the pursuit of results and victories, I have completely stopped paying attention to my health," she added. "It is so difficult to stop at the moment when you are on the rise and you succeed a lot, so now the choice between tennis and health has come. It is time to stop a little and finally pay attention to [myself] and [my] body: heal, recover, fill your inner world with new energy. And already in a renewed state to return to the court, but already stronger."
Kudermetova's emotive news -- a maternity photoshoot of the couple captioned by the simple and emotive "Waiting for a miracle" -- was met happily by many of her peers on tour, including World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and fellow moms Belinda Bencic and Caroline Garcia.
