Mom and son were wearing sunglasses and Leo was asked how Azarenka was playing.
“Thank you for that,” replied Azarenka, before bursting into laughter with the assembled reporters.
32-year-old Azarenka became the first player to reach the round of 16 at this year’s Australian Open with an easy victory over Svitolina.
Belarus is aiming for its third title in Melbourne, after winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
Despite not reaching the fourth round at a Grand Slam since 2016, Azarenka showed no signs of jitters, winning without much trouble in just over an hour.
Azarenka was asked if Leo’s presence at the Grand Slam in Melbourne was a distraction or helped her relax. “All of the above,” the tennis star joked.
She explained, “This is definitely not a distraction, and I would never say that. Being a father is not easy.” “He’s full of character. I don’t know where he came from obviously.
“But I always feel privileged to be able to have him here. These moments are really invaluable to me. Being able to share that with my son is incredible.”
In an Instagram post at the time, Azarenka revealed that she was working to “resolve some legal process” and said she had “no desire” to leave her son in California to travel to New York.
“Balancing childcare and career work is not easy for any parent, but it is a challenge I want to take on and embrace,” she said.
“I want to support men and women everywhere who know it’s good to be a working mom – or dad. Nobody should ever decide between a child and their career, we are strong enough to do both.”
Azarenka will now play French Open champion and fourth seed Barbora Krezhikova in the next round.