Former American tennis player Alison Riske-Amritraj and her husband Stephen Amritraj welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Calen Ann Amritraj, on July 5. The story behind their daughter’s name is a special tribute to the women in their family, particularly the newborn’s grandmothers.
“Calen Ann Amritraj has entered the chat,” Alison announced on Instagram, sharing a heartwarming black-and-white photo of the baby’s tiny feet. She explained the thoughtful inspiration behind the name Calen:
“We hope our little girl will possess the same qualities of the most important ladies in our own life — our mothers, Carol and Helen. We combined the two names and came up with Calen. Our mothers also ironically share the same middle name, Ann, so it made that one easy! May she be full of the same grace, love, grit, and strength, (amongst many other wonderful things), as her namesakes.”
The 34-year-old Riske concluded the message by expressing her hopes for her daughter’s fulfilling life and shared that both dad and mom were overflowing with excitement and love.
During her career, Alison secured three WTA Tour singles titles — in Tianjin, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, and Linz. Her final tournament appearance came at Wimbledon 2023.
Less than a fortnight after her impressive upset of world No.1 Ashleigh Barty at Wimbledon 2019, propelling her to her inaugural Grand Slam quarterfinal, Alison tied the knot with her longtime partner Stephen in July that year. The wedding festivities unfolded in Alison’s hometown of Pittsburgh, featuring a traditional church ceremony followed by a vibrant celebration complete with Bollywood-style dancing.
