Victoria
Azarenka shared a photo on Instagram with her son Leo along with an emotional
message.
The
Belarusian tennis player will be competing this week at the
DC Open after her
run at
Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round but was eliminated by
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in a controversial match that resulted in the crowd
booing Azarenka.
As 'Vichka'
prepares in Washington, she has been seen on the training courts with her son
Leo, who often accompanies her on the WTA tour. The former world No. 1 gave
birth to her son in 2016 and was away from tournaments in 2017 amid a custody
battle for her son, which she eventually won.
In an image
embracing her son Leo, the athlete who turns 34 on July 31st left a heartfelt
caption on her Instagram post.
“I may not
be perfect, but when I look at my son I know that I got something in my life
perfectly right ❤️,” Azarenka wrote.
Azarenka
had a tough exit at Wimbledon, losing to Svitolina 6-2, 4-6, 6-7(9) with the
crowd clearly favoring the Ukrainian player. After the match, Svitolina
approached the umpire directly to avoid the handshake, as she has decided not
to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian players due to the ongoing war in
Ukraine.
The 2-time
Grand Slam champion also avoided Svitolina to prevent an uncomfortable
situation, but the crowd interpreted it in a negative way and responded with
boos
“I can’t
control the crowd. I’m not sure that a lot of people were understanding what’s
happening.”
“It wasn’t
fair. It is what it is. What can I do?” Azarenka said.
The WTA 500
Washington will feature a new clash between Svitolina and Azarenka, this time
in the first round of the tournament. The head-to-head record is currently led
by the Belarusian with a 5-1 advantage, with her only loss coming at Wimbledon
a few weeks ago.