"Go forth and shoot for the moon" - Victoria Azarenka sends her son Leo a message on his 7th birthday

Victoria Azarenka recently shared some of her precious moments with her son Leo on his seventh birthday and also gave him a motivational message to follow his dreams.

Azarenka, who won the Australian Open twice in 2012 and 2013, has been balancing her professional career and motherhood since giving birth to Leo on December 19, 2016.

The Belarusian has faced many challenges and obstacles, including a custody battle with her ex-partner Billy McKeague, which forced her to miss several tournaments. However, she has overcome them with resilience and determination and has continued to compete at the highest level of the sport.

Azarenka’s son Leo is also a big fan of sports, especially soccer and ice hockey. He often accompanies his mother to her matches and practices, and cheers for her.

On Tuesday, December 19, Azarenka wished her son on his seventh birthday and shared several pictures of them, showing their bond and love for each other.

"Happy birthday Leo!!! 7 years old… 😯. Time flies when you are having fun!!! I WANT YOU TO BELIEVE DEEP IN YOUR HEART THAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO THAT YOU WILL NEVER LOSE YOU EITHER WIN OR LEARN. JUST GO FORTH AND SHOOT FOR THE MOON! Keep shining ⭐️ kid!!! Love you ❤️" Azarenka wrote.

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"I had a feeling that I don't want to miss out on really anything when he's growing up" - Victoria Azarenka

Victoria Azarenka and her son Leo at the 2022 Australian Open

Victoria Azarenka talked about the influence of motherhood on her tennis journey and shared her mixed feelings about her son expressing interest in attending the matches.

During a post-match press conference at the Wimbledon Championships earlier this year, the former World No. 1 addressed the challenge of balancing tennis and motherhood. She mentioned that now that her son, Leo, is attending school, she has additional free time for daily training.

"Well, it has changed quite a bit throughout the years. My son is six-and-a-half years old now, and he started school, so I have a little bit of free time once I drop him off to school during the day," Azarenka said.

Azarenka also said that the most difficult thing for her is to feel guilty for taking time to train, as she does not want to lose any moment of her child’s development.

"But for me the biggest challenge, I would say, was an emotional attachment is kind of carrying that guilt of having time for myself and plan my day to be sometimes a little bit selfish. I had a feeling that I don't want to miss out on really anything when he's growing up," she added.

While thrilled by her son's eagerness to watch her compete, Azarenka admitted to feeling somewhat distracted when her son was present. She recalled an experience at the Libema Open where, despite the joy of having him there, her focus shifted towards "mom mode".

"So now my son wants to come to my matches (smiling). It's still a bit of a hard feeling for me, because I get a bit distracted. I have tried that in 's-Hertogenbosch, and it was very awesome moment to share, but at the same time it kind of takes me a bit, you know, into my mom mode too much rather than being a tennis player," Victoria Azarenka added.

Victoria Azarenka’s last match of 2023 was at the Hong Kong Open, where she was forced to retire due to a leg injury in her first-round match against eventual champion Leylah Fernandez.