New mom Brunner returns to the Beach Pro Tour this week in Saquarema

This week's Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Saquarema Elite will be the 85th international tournament in Nina Brunner's 14-year professional beach volleyball career, but it will certainly hit different.

Set to return to the sand for the first time since August 2024, the 30-year-old Swiss Olympic medalist will enter the court in Brazil not only as one of the most accomplished players in her generation, but also as the proud mother of Mila.

• Watch the Saquarema Elite live on VBTV

A two-time European champion, the defender made the decision to put her career on hold to start a family with former ice hockey player Damien Brunner shortly after two of her biggest successes - the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics and her victory at the Beach Pro Tour Hamburg Elite.

After giving birth to Mila in June 2025, Brunner didn't have her sights set on resuming her beach volleyball career. However, as the baby grew and time went by, it was easy for her to understand that her journey on the Beach Pro Tour would continue.

"I have to admit that, when I was pregnant and later when Mila was very, very young, I didn't miss playing volleyball very much," she said in an interview with Swiss site Blue Win. "After about two and a half months, I thought it would be cool to give it another go."

With the confirmation that her desire to return was very much alive, the next decision was to determine who she would have by her side on the sand. There was no shortage of options, with Switzerland sending young, talented players into the Beach Pro Tour every season, but she decided to face the new challenge with a familiar face, reuniting with Tanja Hüberli, her partner between 2016 and 2024, who missed part of the 2025 season due to an ankle injury.

The two had the best moments of their careers together, having appeared in 89 tournaments as partners, winning six golds, six silvers and nine bronzes. They went to two Olympics together, finishing ninth in Tokyo 2020 and winning bronze in Paris, and triumphed in the European Championship in 2021 and 2023.

"My first call was to Tanja, as we've experienced, achieved, and built up an incredible amount in our nine years together," she said when the reunion was announced. "I am very happy to continue on this path together."

The Swiss star faces the current stage of her career from a new perspective, but with the same ambition that took her to the podium at the Olympics and to fight for the top spots in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Ranking for most of the past decade.

"I don't think this will reduce my ambition," she added. "But it will, for sure, put a lot of things into perspective now that I have a different focus in life."

Brunner and Hüberli's first match back together in Saquarema will be a Pool E duel against Lithuanian Olympians Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte on Thursday, at 9:00 local time (12:00 UTC). Eight hours later, they will return to the sand to face Brazilians Elize Maia, who's also a mother, and Carolina Horta. Their pool play campaign ends on Friday, at 14:00 (17:00 UTC), against Brazilians Thâmela Coradello and Victoria Lopes.

Mäder also returns after becoming a mother

Brunner won't be the only player returning to action this week after starting a family, as fellow Swiss and Olympic medalist Joana Mäder will do the same. The 34-year-old, who also competed on the Beach Pro Tour for the last time in the Hamburg Elite event in August 2024, will play her first tournament since giving birth to Malia in April 2025.

A partner of Brunner in her victory at the 2011 FIVB U21 Beach Volleyball World Championship, Mäder is a two-time Olympian who won bronze in Tokyo 2020. She will partner 20-year-old Leona Kernen, who spent part of the 2025 season alongside Hüberli, in her return.

Other beach volleyball mothers competing this week in Saquarema include 38-year-old Brazilian Carol Salgado, who's mother to two boys, and 43-year-old Brazilian Talita Antunes, who has a boy in her marriage with coach Renato França.

Match Schedule in Saquarema

The Saquarema Elite started on Wednesday, with qualification matches in both genders and the first main draw encounters for the men. Both genders will complete pool play on Friday, when the men will also have the lucky losers and the Round of 16.

Beach Pro Tour Saquarema Elite - Match Schedule & Results

Saturday's schedule in Brazil will feature three rounds (lucky losers, Round of 16 and quarterfinals) for the women and one (quarterfinals) for the men. The semifinals and medal matches will take place on Sunday.

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