Victoria Azarenka won't play the US Open because of a court ruling preventing her from leaving California with son Leo—though she's holding out hope she reach an agreement with the child's father enabling her to travel to play.
The two-time US Open finalist posted a statement on Instagram explaining her ongoing custody case currently prevents her from traveling out of state with her child.
Azarenka said as it stands now she won't play the US Open, which starts on August 28th.
"Shortly after Wimbledon, Leo's father and I separated and as we work to resolve some of the legal processes, the way things stand now is the only way I can play in the US Open this year is if I leave Leo behind in California, which I'm not willing to do," Azarenka posted on Instagram today. "Balancing child care and a career is not easy for any parent, but it is a challenge I am willing to face and embrace.
"I want to support men and women everywhere who know it is ok to be a working mother or father. No one should ever have to decide between a child and their career, we are strong enough to do both."
A Personal Note
A post shared by Victoria Azarenka (@vichka35) on
Earlier this month, TMZ reported Azarenka would miss the Flushing Meadows major due to the ongoing legal battle with her ex-boyfriend over the couple's eight-month-old son, Leo.
Azarenka's ex-boyfriend and father of her son, Billy McKeague, has filed custody papers in Los Angeles after the couple split last month.
A California judge has ruled Azarenka cannot take baby Leo out of California while the custody case is ongoing.
A decision in the case is not expected until at least October, preventing Azarenka from playing the US Open, which begins on August 28th.
The 28-year-old Belarusian has reached quarterfinals or better in her last four Flushing Meadows appearances, including back-to-back finals in 2012-2013.
Azarenka, who reached the fourth round of Wimbledon last month, has offered to pay McKeague's airfare to New York City and his hotel expenses so that she could travel with her son to the season's final Grand Slam.
The former couple have not yet been able to work out on agreement though Azarenka concluded her post saying she's hopeful they can can come to an accord.
"I remain optimistic that in the coming days Leo's father and I can put aside any differences and take steps in the right direction to more effectively work as a team and agree on an arrangement for all three of us to travel and for me to compete, but, more importantly to ensure that Leo has a consistent presence from both of his parents," Azarenka wrote in her post.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve