SUMMARY
- Victoria Azarenka balances motherhood and tennis, avoiding distractions by not letting her son Leo watch matches.
- Highlighting the struggles of juggling roles, her journey includes a 2017 custody battle impacting her tennis career.
Victoria Azarenka, a former world no. 1 who won the Australian Open twice, shared a personal struggle. During the 2023 Wimbledon, she revealed that she didn’t allow her six-year-old son, Leo, to watch her play. Azarenka admitted feeling a bit uncomfortable because she gets easily distracted when watching her 6-year-old son Leo in the crowd.
She explained, “So now my son wants to come to my matches. It’s still a bit of a hard feeling for me because I get a bit distracted.” This decision gives us a peek into Azarenka’s life, showing the challenge of being both a mother and a top athlete. Even though Leo wants to see his mom play, Azarenka finds it hard to focus on the game when he’s there.
This struggle reflects the difficulties many female athletes face in balancing their roles as professionals and mothers and meeting expectations. By deciding not to have Leo at her matches, she challenges the usual expectations and shows that athletes have the right to balance their personal and professional lives.
Vika & Leo’s special handshake 😍@vika7 | #MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/JN3IOxwGMj
— Mubadala Citi DC Open (@mubadalacitidc) July 29, 2023
Azarenka has had a challenging life as a single mother and a tennis pro who has fought for her rights and identity as a mother and a player. Adding depth to this story is Azarenka’s custody battle with her ex-boyfriend in 2017 over her son Leo, whom she gave birth to in 2016.
The struggles and separation after Wimbledon 2017 highlight the sacrifices Azarenka made on her tennis journey. It is a life story of her strength and determination, showcasing the strong spirit of motherhood from a tennis champion.
How custody struggles shaped Victoria Azarenka’s tennis career
Victoria Azarenka, the multiple Australian Open champion, faced legal battles that significantly impacted her participation in major tournaments. In 2017, Azarenka, who separated from her son’s father, Billy McKeague, found herself entangled in a custody dispute, forcing her to miss several tournaments.
The custody battle, arising shortly after Wimbledon in 2017, became a pivotal chapter in Azarenka’s life. This legal struggle centered around her eight-month-old son, Leo, resulting in her withdrawal from major tournaments like the 2017 US Open and the Fed Cup final that followed suit.
The court’s decision restricted Leo from leaving California until the custody matter was resolved, compelling Azarenka to stay in California and forgo participating in major tennis events. Azarenka’s hiatus from tournaments during this period impacted her tennis rankings, reflecting the challenges she faced in balancing her personal life and professional career.
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From being world no. 13 in 2016, she dropped to as low as 208 in the world in 2017. Despite these setbacks, Azarenka’s determination and resilience came through as she navigated through the legal battles off the court while striving to reclaim her position in the world of tennis.
In 2018, she staged a remarkable professional comeback to the tour, overcoming numerous challenges while managing Leo as a single mother. Azarenka successfully climbed to a ranking of world no. 51. Her story is an inspiration to many female athletes who have embraced motherhood.