“Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo” – Victoria Azarenka’s son Leo lists favorite athletes at Charleston Open, leaves mom out

For the first time, Victoria Azarenka’s seven-year-old son Leo accompanied her for an interview following her advancement to the third round of the Charleston Open 2024.

Despite receiving a bye in the first round, Azarenka dominated her second-round match against Elisabetta Cocciaretto on Wednesday, April 3. The showdown lasted only 71 minutes, with Azarenka emerging victorious with a score of 6-1, 6-2.

Despite facing a break on her serve, the 12th seed managed to break Cocciaretto five times during the match. Together, the two players competed for 92 points, with the Belarusian winning 57 and advancing to the next round.

Following the match, Azarenka accompanied Steve Weissman at the Tennis Channel desk with her son Leo. The host engaged in a conversation with Azarenka and her son, asking them some intriguing questions.

A couple of minutes into their talk, Weissman inquired with Leo about which sports he participated in regularly.

“Hockey, soccer and I wanna play basketball,”Leo replied (03:25).

Upon hearing this, Azarenka disclosed that her son had stopped practicing the martial art of Jiu-jitsu. She stated:

“He just quit Jiu-jitsu. I’m trying to convince him to go back because I think it’s an incredible skill for a boy.”

Weissman inquired about Leo’s favorite athletes, prompting him to mention names he admires. Leo’s initial response included renowned footballers Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He also selected ice hockey players Connor McDavid from Canada and Leon Draisaitl from Germany. Ultimately, he chose the late Brazilian football icon Pele.

“Messi, Ronaldo…, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Pele,”Leo said.

Upon Weissman’s questioning, the seven-year-old found himself in a difficult position for not including his mom Azarenka in his list. However, the mom quickly came to her son’s defense and stated:

“Mom is always No. 1… Mom is mom, mom is not an athlete right?”

Leo concurred, stating:

“Yeah”

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In the upcoming match at the 2024 Charleston Open, Victoria Azarenka will face off against hometown favorite Taylor Townsend for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals. This will mark their first on-court encounter.

Townsend has advanced to the third round after securing impressive victories against Sofia Kenin and sixth-seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the previous rounds. She secured a 6-3, 6-3 win over Kenin in her first match and followed it up with a 7-5, 6-2 victory against Alexandrova in the second round.

The match winner between Azarenka and Townsend will face either the first-seed Jessica Pegula or Poland’s Magda Linette in the quarterfinals. The match between Azarenka and Townsend is scheduled for Thursday, April 4.