Manhattan Beach, California as her principal residence. Azarenka dated American musician Redfoo between late 2012 and early 2014. Azarenka has spoken openly about her experience of depression during her injury-induced absence from professional tennis in 2014. Custody battle Azarenka and former boyfriend Billy McKeague have one son, born in 2016. Immediately after 2017 Wimbledon they split and became involved in a custody battle for their son. Azarenka then withdrew from the remaining 2017 tournaments. In January 2018 Azarenka won an early round of the U.S. custody proceedings when a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled that the custody case of their U.S.-born son should not take place in Los Angeles, but in Belarus. In April 2018 Azarenka returned to the tour, competing in Europe. In December 2018, the California Courts of Appeal ruled that the LA County Superior Court had jurisdiction over the case, overturning the initial LA County Superior Court Belarus-jurisdiction decision. Ukraine invasion In March 2022, Azarenka released a statement on Twitter to state her heartbreak concerning the "actions that have taken place" (the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, aided by her native Belarus), and "declare[d] her dismay and great sadness at the events" in Ukraine, saying: "I have always seen … Ukrainian and Belarusian people [and] nations … friendly and supportive of one another. It is hard to witness the violent separation that is currently taking place instead of supporting and finding compassion for each other." Tennis career Early career Azarenka debuted on the ITF Junior Circuit in November 2003 in Israel, winning one doubles title with countrywoman Olga Govortsova. At Wimbledon, Azarenka reached the semifinals of the girls' competition, only to be defeated by eventual runner-up Ana Ivanovic, despite having two match points in the marathon third set. She continued to participate in ITF tournaments in 2004, and at the end of the season she had a singles rank of 508 on the WTA Tour. Azarenka had a successful year in 2005, winning two junior Grand Slams: the Australian (she would eventually win the seniors' competition in 2012 and 2013) and US championships. She ended the season as the junior world No. 1 and was named the 2005 World Champion by the ITF, becoming the first Belarusian to do so. In addition, she reached her first semifinal on the main tour in Guangzhou, China. She went from the qualifying draw of the tournament to the