In Pictures: Victoria Azarenka son Leo replaces Elena Rybakina; plays tennis with mother on court in adorable gesture after Kazakh's Berlin retirement

Victoria Azarenka and her seven-year-old son Leo entertained fans at the 2024 ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin on Friday (June 21). Azarenka's son took to the Steffi Graf Stadion after her quarterfinal opponent Elena Rybakina was forced to retire at 1-3 down due to illness.

Azarenka has had a respectable 2024 season so far, winning 24 of her 34 matches. The highlights of the 34-year-old's season came at the Miami Open in March, where she reached the semifinals. She has been in good form at this week's 500-level event in Berlin, winning her first three matches without dropping a set.

The former World No. 1's last-eight outing against Elena Rybakina ended in abrupt fashion, as the latter retired four games into the match citing abdominal pain.

Moments later, Victoria Azarenka's son Leo walked on-court to trade hits with his mother. The seven-year-old donned a red Nike shirt and hit a double-handed forehand. The mother-son duo huddled together towards the end, after which Leo also autographed a few tennis balls.

The two-time Major winner, meanwhile, will meet the winner between second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and the dangerous Anna Kalinskaya in the semifinals of the 2024 ecotrans Ladies Open. While Azarenka trails her fellow countrywoman Sabalenka 1-4 in their head-to-head meetings, she is tied 1-1 with Kalinskaya.

---

Victoria Azarenka after son Leo's birth: "My first thought was, 'Oh my god I'm never going to play tennis again'"

Victoria Azarenka won the Australian Open in 2012-13

Victoria Azarenka gave birth to her son Leo in 2016 with ex-boyfriend Billy McKeague with whom she had a custody battle later. The Belarusian would return to the WTA Tour the following year. That said, she had plenty of doubts in the back of her mind about her tennis career after pregnancy.

"I was scared, it wasn't easy. I knew I was going to come back but my first thought was, 'Oh my god I'm never going to play tennis again,'" Victoria Azarenka told BBC in 2019. "But then it was all about knowing I was going to come back, and when I was going to come back."

The former World No. 1 spoke positively about her body after having her son, as well.

"I felt it was a blessing, but I still wanted to have my own dreams, and my own career," she added back then. "I felt so much stronger physically, and my body became so much better. I felt like my body finally matured into being a woman."

Following the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin, Victoria Azarenka is next scheduled to compete at the Bad Homburg Open where she is the fifth seed.