Tennis star Victoria Azarenka is considered a legend in the sporting world, having been the number one tennis star in recent years.
However, her custody battle with Billy McKeague has been a devastating and career-shaking affair for the tennis player.
In August 2017, Victoria Azarenka and Billy McKeague entered a brutal and challenging custody battle for their then 8-month-old son, Leo.
Unfortunately for the Belarussian player, she was forced to miss that year’s US Open championship to fight for primary custody of her infant son.
The former world no. 1 split from McKeague after Wimbledon 2017 and Azarenka was forced to give up her shot as other titles, as well as her ranking, to battle against McKeague in court.
Billy McKeague Biography & Net Worth
McKeague was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to the chairman and marketing executive of Chase and Company.
He hoped to be a future hockey star when he enrolled in the University of Missouri but quickly discovered his love for golf.
After turning his attention towards gold, McKeague pursued a career as a golf pro at the North Shores Resorts in Hawaii.
His estimated net worth is around $400,000, which he earned from his hockey days and current gig as a golf instructor.
This was where he would eventually meet the tennis star who had successfully defended her Australian Open title in 2013.
Azarenka was visiting the resort with a friend when she met McKeague by chance.
Azarenka, who was in a relationship at the time, decided to keep her distance from McKeague, hoping to remain friendly.
However, their undeniable attraction led to the pair beginning a relationship in 2015-16, and Azarenka announced she had given birth to their child on December 20, 2016.
McKeague and Azarenka separated in August 2017, when their son was just eight months old.
When Billy McKeague & Victoria Azarenka Custody Battle Started?
After a series of injuries and time away due to her pregnancy, Azarenka was ready to get back to the court in the 2017 tennis season.
Unfortunately, her relationship with McKeague was slowly falling apart, and upon their separation, McKeague began to pursue sole custody for the couple’s son.
In an extended Tweet, Azarenka released a statement explaining her absence from the tournament, being candid about her legal troubles.
The tennis star began her statement by showcasing her appreciation for parents juggling parenthood and an intensive career.
She explained that she had begun working on playing in the Mallorca Open by mid-June, seeing it as a sign to pursue her first Wimbledon title.
Azarenka explained that her split from McKeague got in the way of her pursuit of the US Open title, telling followers that:
“Shortly after Wimbledon, Leo’s father and I separated, and as we work to resolve some of the legal processes, the way things stand now is that the only way I can play in the US Open this year is if I leave Leo behind in California, which I’m not willing to do.”
After thanking fellow parents who offered their support on social media, Azarenka expressed hope that she and McKeague would be able to “put aside any differences and take steps in the right direction to more effectively work as a team and agree on an arrangement for all three of [them] to travel and for [Azarenka] to compete.”
She was adamant that no matter what, “Leo has a consistent presence from both of his parents.”
In August 2017, the New York Post reported that McKeague had filed custody documents in Los Angeles, where he and Azarenka had been raising their son.
The article states that a judge informed the athlete she would be unable to leave the state to compete with her son in tow while the dispute was in motion.
At the time, the custody case was scheduled to end in October, and Azarenka made the difficult decision to withdraw from the tournament rather than leave Leo with his father.
Azarenka’s attorney, Laura Wasser, informed the judge that Azarenka had offered to purchase a plane ticket and hotel accommodation for McKeague, who declined.
The Post also claimed the Los Angeles judge refused to defer the case to the Belarus court, where the athlete has already enforced a valid custody offer.
A Win For Victoria Azarenka
In January 2018, things seemed to be working against McKeague.
The judge ruled McKeague’s initial custody filing as not belonging to the state of California – or the United States – thus relegating the battle to Azarenka’s native Belarus.
The tennis starlet’s legal team was confident she the ball would be in her court (so to speak), citing the judge’s 65-page opinion as a hopeful sign.
As per the Los Angeles judge, McKeague had three weeks to file an appeal to the dismissal of the case on California soil.
In the meantime, Azarenka was hoping to take Leo to Belarus and stated she wished to continue co-parenting with McKeague.
Speaking about her return to grand slams in 2018, Azarenka said:
“I wouldn’t wish that on anybody to go through what I’ve been going through, but it’s part of life and there are blessings in this situation as well for me.”
It was reported that Azarenka won her custody battle against McKeague, and she and Leo had been quarantined together during the lockdown in 2020.
Her Views On The Custody Battle
In an interview with Chris Evert, Azarenka opened up about how the custody battle with McKeague affected her physical and mental states.
“There are times where I knew two days before the tournament that I can actually go and play the tournament. So organizing that you know and trying to regroup yourself was just the best you can do,” she said.
Due to her irregular appearances for most of 2017 and 2018, her ranking dropped considerably. Azarenka saw this as an opportunity to grow, telling Evert,
“I think the uncertainty in that way was something that I’m just not used to having somebody else control my life where I’m the one who always have done it, have my own schedule and stuff so for me, that was really difficult like not knowing what I’m gonna do.”
As of today, she is working on clawing her way back up to the top, hoping to achieve another couple of grand slam wins to prove she can bounce back.
As far as her relationship with Billy McKeague goes, the tennis player has never said anything against her son’s father.
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