Victoria Azarenka watches her son Leo play tennis, calls him a "Next Gen" player
Victoria Azarenka took a break from her preparations for the 2022 Australian Open by spending time in the company of her son Leo on Sunday.
The 5-year-old looked to be following in his mother's footsteps as he swung his tennis racquet on the practice courts in Melbourne. Azarenka was spotted teaching him how to hold the racquet properly.
The photos were shared by the WTA's official Twitter handle, who commented on how well he played. The WTA also ensured they tagged the ATP's Twitter account to make them aware of a future star in the making.
"Looking good Leo! cc: @atptour," the WTA tweeted.
Looking good Leo! 🎾
cc: @atptour https://t.co/sWZLMqetQp
The photos were retweeted by Azarenka, who thanked the WTA for capturing the "priceless memories." She acknowledged the words of praise and joined in the fun by referring to Leo as a "Next Gen" player.
"Next gen. Thanks for the pictures," Azarenka wrote on Twitter. "Those moments are priceless to me :)"
Next gen :)
Thanks for the pictures
Those moments are priceless to me :) twitter.com/wta/status/148…
Victoria Azarenka begins Australian Open campaign against Panna Udvardy
Victoria Azarenka kicks off her campaign at the Australian Open against World No. 95 Panna Udvardy. The Belarusian has been scheduled to play her first-round fixture on Day 1 (January 17) of the tournament on Court 3.
The two players have never faced each other before, but the two-time Grand Slam champion will be confident of progressing to the second round. Azarenka enjoyed a successful lead-up to the tournament, reaching the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International 1 before falling to Iga Swiatek in three sets.
Former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka has stunned 4th seed and her Doubles partner Paula Badosa in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of Adelaide WTA 👏
#VictoriaAzarenka #PaulaBadosa #Adelaide https://t.co/LjEugPQRpz
Azarenka recorded an impressive victory over World No. 6 Paula Badosa in the first round in Adelaide which will give her a confidence boost ahead of the Melbourne Slam.
Meanwhile, Udvardy has lost both matches she has played since the turn of the year. To make matters worse for the Hungarian, both losses came against players ranked below 150 in the world.
The 2022 Australian Open also marks her first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam. The 23-year-old's previous best result came at Wimbledon in 2021, where she reached the second round of qualifying.
A first-round match against the seasoned Azarenka is not ideal but it should make for a good experience and put Udvardy in good stead for the rest of the season.