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Victoria Azarenka: successful return to the 2017 WTA Tour

By Harry Floyd

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 07: Victoria Azarenka of Belarus plays a forehand during the Ladies Singles third round match against Heather Watson of Great Britain on day five of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 7, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 07: Victoria Azarenka of Belarus plays a forehand during the Ladies Singles third round match against Heather Watson of Great Britain on day five of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 7, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) /
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Victoria Azarenka is back on the WTA Tour after taking time off following the birth of her son Leo. The former world No. 1 had a strong showing at Wimbledon.

Victoria Azarenka is back in action on the WTA Tour. The former world No. 1 performed well at Wimbledon, reaching the fourth round.

The former world No. 1 took time off following the birth of her son Leo. Now, it appears she is ready to compete on tour again.

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With newborn Leo in tow, Azarenka arrived at Wimbledon and ready to play. Coming in unseeded, the Belarusian tennis star performed better than most expected.

Prior to play at Wimbledon, Azarenka made an appearance at the Mallorca Open.

Opening against Risa Ozaki of Japan at Mallorca, she managed a three-set victory in her opening match. She would then fall to seventh seeded Ana Konjuh, but it was clear that Azarenka was back and ready to compete.

Wimbledon went even better than Mallorca.

Victoria Azarenka reached the fourth round, falling to second seeded Simona Halep. The Romanian Halep was considered by many to be the favorite at Wimbledon this year. She fell to Johanna Konta in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at the Grand Slam.

Before her match with Halep, Azarenka managed three strong wins.

First for Azarenka was American CiCi Bellis. After dropping the opening set, the Belarusian took the match in three-sets, winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Then came fifteenth seeded Elena Vesnina. In what must be considered a strong upset, Azarenka won the meeting with Vesnina in straight sets. She took the match 6-3, 6-3. The former world No. 1 met Heather Watson in the third round, where she saw another three-set victory, winning 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

It is clear after Wimbledon 2017 that Victoria Azarenka is still a player to beat on the WTA Tour. At just 27-years-old, the birth of her son Leo does not appear to be holding her back at all. Training leading up to her return paid off and she is without a doubt a player to watch in the coming months. Stay tuned to see how Azarenka fares throughout the rest of the 2017 WTA Tour.

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