(CNN)Two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka brought her child to work at the tournament in Melbourne on Friday – and it was “amazing”.
After her 6-0, 6-2 third-round win over No. 15 seed Elina Svitolina, Azarenka brought her son Leo to the post-match media conference.
Mom and son wore sunglasses and Leo was asked how Azarenka played.
Leo’s response was succinct and to the point: “Awesome.”
Azarenka replied, “Thank you for that,” before bursting out in laughter along with the assembled reporters.
Azarenka, 32, became the first player to reach the round of 16 at this year’s Australian Open after effortlessly defeating Svitolina.
The Belarusian is aiming for her third title in Melbourne after winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
Despite not having reached the fourth round at the Grand Slam since 2016, Azarenka showed no signs of nervousness and won in just over an hour without too many problems.
Azarenka was asked if Leo’s presence at the Melbourne Grand Slam was a distraction or helped her relax. “All of the above,” the tennis star jokingly replied.
“It’s definitely not a distraction, I’ll never say that. Being a parent isn’t easy,” she explained. “He’s full of personality. Of course I don’t know where he got it from.
“But I always feel privileged to have him here. Those kind of moments are really priceless to me. To be able to share that with my son is pretty amazing.”
Months after Leo’s birth in 2016, Azarenka and Leo’s father split. Azarenka missed the US Open the following year due to legal issues with the father.
In an Instagram post at the time, Azarenka revealed they were working to “resolve some of the legal processes” and said she was “not ready” to leave her son in California to travel to New York.
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“Balancing childcare and a career isn’t easy for any parent, but it’s a challenge I want to rise to and accept,” she said.
“I want to support men and women everywhere who know it’s okay to be a working mom – or a working dad. Nobody should ever have to choose between having a child and their career, we are strong enough to do both.”
Azarenka will now face French Open winner and fourth-placed Barbora Krejcikova in the next round.
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