Victoria Azarenka to return to WTA in late July 2017
Former World No1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus will return to competitive sport in late July 2017 at the WTA tournament in Stanford, California (July 31 - August 6) seven months after giving birth to her son Leon. The Belarusian has received a personal invitation from the organizers.
"I am very excited to be returning to the WTA at the Bank of the West Classic," 27-year-old Azarenka said in comments posted on the tour's website.
"Becoming a mother has been the most rewarding thing that has ever happened to me and really puts things in perspective.
"I am looking forward to beginning this new stage of my career."
Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, launched her 2016 campaign with back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Miami, but missed the rest of the season after announcing she was expecting Leon in December.
Last week, Azarenka was No 317 in the WTA rankings.
