"We didn't know" - New mom Sabine Lisicki reveals initial surprise at her newborn sharing name with Belinda Bencic's baby daughter

Sabine Lisicki, a former Wimbledon finalist and four-time winner on the WTA Tour, has been enjoying her time away from the sport, reveling in her new role as a mother. On September 8, the former World No. 12 announced that she had given birth to a daughter, whom she named Bella.

However, Lisicki is not the only tennis player who gave birth to a baby girl named Bella in 2024. In March, Tokyo Olympics Gold medallist and former World No. 4 Belinda Bencic also revealed that she and her partner Martin Hromkovic had been blessed with a baby daughter.

Lisicki recently discussed choosing the same name for her daughter as her WTA contemporary in an interaction with a fan on Instagram. In an Instagram story shared on Wednesday, December 4, Lisicki responded to a Q&A where she was asked if she and Bencic knew that their babies would share the same name.

Addressing the question, Lisicki expressed her initial surprise as she wrote:

"We did not know but we both immediately thought how cool it is because we think Bella is a beautiful name," Lisicki wrote.

Sabine Lisicki's Instagram story (@sabinelisicki)

The highlight of Lisicki's career came at SW19 in 2013, when she blitzed her way to the final, before losing to Italy's Marion Bartoli in straight sets.

A string of serious injuries, however, severely derailed the German's career. Sabine Lisicki mounted her last comeback in 2022, with the highlight coming at the W60 Calgary Challenger tournament, which she won.

She has not played a tennis match since December of last year and announced that she was pregnant in March this year while also hinting at 'one more comeback' to the court.

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Sabine Lisicki announced the birth of daughter Bella in September: "Our hearts are filled with love and happiness"

Sabine Lisicki is best known for making the Wimbledon Championships' final in 2013 - Source: Getty

On Monday, September 9, German tennis star Sabine Lisicki announced her daughter Bella's arrival in the world by posting a picture on Instagram, where she held the newborn's tiny head cupped in her and her fiance's hands.

Expressing her joy, Lisicki wrote:

“Our hearts are filled with love and happiness, as we are humbled to welcome Bella to our world," she captioned the heartwarming picture.

Last week, Lisciki expressed her love for her daughter again through a reel on the occasion of Thanksgiving, asserting that she was thankful for motherhood and that the love "keeps growing with every single day."

Several tennis icons, including Magdalena Frech, Ashyln Krueger, and Eva Lys congratulated the the 35-year-old on this joyous occasion.