Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka says her participation in the US Open is in doubt because she might not be able to bring her baby with her to New York as a result of her separation from his father.
Azarenka posted via Twitter on Thursday that she is “faced with a difficult situation which may not allow me to return to work right away.”
Added Azarenka, who used to be No. 1 in the WTA rankings: “No parent should have to decide between their child or their career.”
The 28-year-old from Belarus gave birth to Leo, her first child, in December then returned to the tour in June. She has played in just two tournaments since the 2016 French Open and is currently ranked 204th.
She said shortly after Wimbledon — where Azarenka lost to Simona Halep in the fourth round on July 10 — that she had separated from her son’s father.
“As we work to resolve some of the legal processes, the way things stand now is that the only way I can play in the US Open this year is if I leave Leo behind in California,” Azarenka wrote, “which I’m not willing to do.”
Azarenka said she hopes to reach an agreement with the boy’s father prior to the start of the year’s final Grand Slam. The US Open begins August 28.