“Effort is non-negotiable” – This is a lesson that the tennis star, Victoria Azarenka, wants to impart to her son, Leo, who enjoys playing multiple sports. Talking about putting in effort, well, Azarenka recently had to put in some hard yards in the second set of her first-round (R128) match against America’s Clervie Ngounoue in Indian Wells. Although she won the match by 6-4,7-6(7), Azarenka was far from her best in this match. She’ll now have to quickly press the reset and refocus button before her next match against number 8, Qinwen Zheng, in the next round. What does her biggest fan have to say about her performance in the first round, though?
If we take a look at her performance against Ngounoue (259), Azarenka hit four aces in that match but committed six double faults. She managed to convert only 3 out of her 8 break point chances in that first-round battle. However, despite a bit of struggle, her son is pleased that her mom put in some valiant effort to steal the deal in this epic battle. Azarenka’s 8-year-old son, Leo, is often seen traveling with her mother on the Tour, and guess what? This young kid literally managed to steal the show at the Indian Wells last night.
Renowned tennis journalist, Jose Morgado, recently shared a tweet with a similar caption saying, “Vika’s son Leo stealing the show in Indian Wells .” In that video clip, Leo was spotted standing alongside her mother and answering a few questions in her post-match interview. He was asked, “What grade would you give her for how she played today? What do you think?” In reply to this question, Victoria Azarenka’s son said, “3.5 minus returning the serve.” Then, after hearing this, the interviewer got a bit shocked and asked him, “Out of what?” Well, surprisingly, despite being a bit shaky in the second set, her son gave her that number “Out of 4.” Not too bad, isn’t it?
Vika’s son Leo stealing the show in Indian Wells pic.twitter.com/TJELRw3Ny4
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) March 6, 2025
With this win, Victoria Azarenka has now clinched her 159th WTA 1000 match win on hard court, surpassing the likes of Caroline Wozniacki (158). She now has the most number of wins on the surface since the format’s introduction in 2009! No wonder her son was so impressed with her performance last night. When was the last time we saw Leo heaping praise on her mom’s performance in a tennis match, though?
Well, even when Azarenka secured a straight-set victory against Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round of the 2024 Charleston Open, Leo said, “Mom won, so I like that! My mom was just heart, and she didn’t give up,” in his first-ever interview at the Tennis Channel desk. Their bond off-the-court is reflected through moments like these, but what does Azarenka think of having her son accompanying her during the Tour?
In reply to this, she once revealed, “It’s really amazing for Leo to, first of all, come to my matches. I used to be really nervous for him to be out here, but now I feel like, he’s watching me, hopefully gets a little inspired for his sports.” She said that now it gives her a bit of “extra motivation” to try harder in her matches. However, there were times in the past when we saw little Leo getting a bit upset with her mother’s win.
Remember what Victoria Azarenka said after winning her R16 match against Madison Keys at the 2022 Guadalajara Open? She said, “Leo knew that I won last night. It was past his bedtime. His dad sent me a video of him saying, ‘Mama played last night.’ And Leo goes, ‘Oh did she win? Nooo! It’s okay, I just want to see her.’“ After seeing all these moments featuring this mother-son duo, one may wonder: How has motherhood impacted Azarenka’s life and career? Does Leo have any interest in tennis?
Victoria Azarenka talks about her shift in priorities in her life
Victoria Azarenka welcomed her first and only son, Leo, in December 2016 with her then-boyfriend Billy McKeague. Azarenka and McKeague split in 2017, and then we saw her getting involved in a long custody battle over Leo, before eventually getting custody of her son. Ever since welcoming her child into her life, Azarenka revealed that she has started prioritizing herself less and is always busy with her son’s well-being and schedule.
During an interview in February 2024, she admitted, “When I was young, all I wanted was to win a Grand Slam & be #1, & I’ve achieved it. I wanted to continue & repeat that feeling. After I had Leo my priorities shifted a bit. I had to find a way to balance myself a bit, where I don’t feel guilty for missing out on some of the time with him & dedicate myself to the craft.” She’s often spotted taking her son to NHL matches, and both of them are also big fans of soccer. In fact, her son is also a big fan of the Argentine star, Lionel Messi.
Does Leo have any interest in tennis, though? Well, in 2022, Victoria Azarenka was spotted giving her son some tennis lessons. Later on, the WTA’s official X handle shared a glimpse of that moment with the caption, “Looking good Leo! cc: @atptour.” In reply to that, Azarenka wrote, “Next gen. Thanks for the pictures. Those moments are priceless to me ” After seeing all these moments once during a Q&A session she was asked whether she’d encourage Leo to take up tennis. Replying to that question, she revealed, “He’s (Leo) not really into tennis, so I’m not sure it will be for him.“
Leo is more inclined to ice hockey and soccer than any other sport, and Azarenka doesn’t want to be “pushy” with her son. She fully supports him in what he likes to pursue. Share your thoughts on this adorable mother-son duo in the comment box.
The post Indian Wells: Victoria Azarenka’s Win Gets Brutally Overshadowed After Her 8YO Son Steals the Spotlight appeared first on EssentiallySports.