Former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka will play the Madrid Open, her first competitive event since the Miami Open.
The 28-year-old Belarusian appears to have taken a step forward in an ongoing custody battle with former partner Billy McKeague, confirming via Twitter she was en route to Europe with infant son Leo.
A condition of the custody dispute meant that until now, Azarenka was unable to travel with Leo outside the state of California.
Mommy and Leo’s adventures begin ???? Europe here we come ???????? first stop ???????? see you in Madrid ???????????????????????????? pic.twitter.com/9WzUDj7Crx
— victoria azarenka (@vika7) April 30, 2018
Her reluctance to travel without her son means she has been restricted to just two tournaments since Wimbledon last year: Indian Wells and Miami.
Azarenka travelled to Miami without Leo and reached the semifinals, but was unsure of her competitive plans beyond that.
“When I have some news, I’ll be ready to share them,” she said at the time.
“I’m keeping my hopes up. I just don’t want to talk too much, because my words are always used against me.”
The two-time Australian Open champion will use a protected ranking to enter the Madrid tournament, one of the biggest events outside of the Grand Slams.
She is currently ranked 99th, having played just four tournaments in the past 12 months.
Am told that Victoria Azarenka is planning on playing clay court events in Europe
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) April 26, 2018
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