Is it time to retire the term 'WAG'? Costeen Hatzi and Kaylah Collins say the answer isn't so simple

The Australian Open wrapped up last month and the names that are still on everyone's lips aren't just those of the standout players, but their partners too.

Costeen Hatzi, Paige Lorenze, Morgan Riddle, Nini Molnar and Ayan Broomfield were the centre of attention around the courts in Melbourne, commanding millions of social media followers between them – as well as the hearts of Nick Kyrgios, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, Marton Fucsovics and Frances Tiafoe respectively.

But their huge popularity at the iconic tournament raised an important question: Is it OK to still call these women 'WAGs' (wives and girlfriends) in 2025? And was it ever OK in the first place?

READ MORE: Three years ago, Costeen was living in anonymity. Now millions know her name

There's no equivalent term for men who date or marry professional athletes and the term has carried negative connotations for years, often used to put down women.

Kaylah Collins, who is a public relations consultant, mother, and is married to NRL's Sydney Roosters player Lindsay Collins, tells 9honey she's learned not to be bothered by the label.

"People are always going to have something to say and if I lived my life worrying about what someone on Facebook thought, that's taking away from my fulfillment," she says.

"People are quick to label any woman [based] on their relationship status, no matter if they're dating a professional athlete, if they're a single mum, if they're single at 30, if they're engaged at 20, people are so quick to negatively label women," she says.

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"We all know that we're more than that label."

Kaylah isn't stressed about being called a 'WAG' because she knows there's so much more to her than her husband's career, but admits she knows other female partners of NRL players who hate the term for that very same reason.

They don't want to be reduced to their roles as wives or girlfriends because they know they're so much more than that.

So why do some people still reduce these powerful, intelligent and ambitious women to the 'wives or girlfriends' of the men they're with?

WATCH: Costeen Hatzi opens up about Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open

Many hold down the fort at home, raising children and managing the mental load while their partners are away for weeks or months at a time.

Many also have successful careers of their own, from running their own businesses, to working corporate jobs, or building their own personal brands on social media.

Hatzi is one such woman, running her Sydney-based dress hire business and a thriving influencer career all while touring the world with boyfriend Nick Kyrgios to support his career.

"People think it's very luxurious all the time but there's a lot of lows as well. It's an emotional roller coaster," she tells 9honey of life on tour.

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Travelling with Kyrgios while he competes means months spent away from her friends and family, constantly jetlagged while she tries to juggle multiple income streams and manage the media interest in her relationship.

She's had to make sacrifices to live the life she does with Kyrgios, something few seem to recognise or understand.

But she refers to herself as a "tennis girlfriend" and tells 9honey she is "happy to be called a WAG".

"It doesn't upset me at all. It is definitely part of who I am because I'm there supporting Nick day to day, going to his matches, travelling with him," she says.

Hatzi believes that the term 'WAG' shouldn't come with any negative connotations, rather the women who love and support athletes should be recognised for all they do outside the relationship as well as in it.

It's a sentiment echoed by American influencer Morgan Riddle, who was in Melbourne for the AO with boyfriend Taylor Fritz last month.

Riddle has always embraced the term 'WAG', telling Glamour last year, "I've never understood why that would be necessarily a negative thing ... [just] because it's associated with femininity and women."

Others disagree.

Model Hannah Dal Sasso, who dated Thanasi Kokkinakis, isn't a fan of the 'WAG' title and once told the Herald Sun, "I like having my own name and not being someone else's partner."

American Kennedy Frazer, who is married to NFL player Malcolm Rodriguez, felt the same way when she spoke to Glamour last year.

"It labels you as if you're owned by somebody," Frazer told the outlet, adding that women who date or marry athletes are so much more than that.

READ MORE: Three words left the Blue Wiggle speechless on national TV

The reality is that every athlete's wife or girlfriend is a person with her own career, goals, thoughts and opinions and shouldn't be reduced to their relationship status.

Whether that means retiring the acronym or reclaiming it is yet to be seen.

The women who date and marry pro athletes are still divided on the term and that's probably a good thing because women aren't a monolith and every wife and girlfriend is entitled to her own opinion on the matter.

They all come from different backgrounds, are shaped by different experiences, and have different attitudes to dating, marriage, families and careers, so it makes sense that they would have different takes on the term.

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Each should be allowed to voice her own thoughts and boundaries when it comes to the label, whether that means embracing it or refusing title altogether.

"I do definitely feel like we are moving away from it but personally, I don't really give it much thought," Kaylah says.

"We're more than that."

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