'Tennis is my job, it's not my life'

It has been 61/2 years since Victoria Azarenka was atop the Women's Tennis Association rankings, courtesy of her back-to-back Australian Open victories and other high finishes.

Azarenka, who turned 30 on the final day of last month, continues her pursuit of No. 1 again, but with different priorities.

She left tennis in the middle of 2016 to give birth to a son, Leo, who arrived in December of that year. Azarenka was off the courts for nearly 12 months, and her ranking plummeted from No. 6 at the time to No. 978 when she returned in June of 2017.

Her ranking is No. 38, and tennis fans at Times Union Center will get an up-close look at the tennis standout from Belarus on Tuesday, Aug. 20, when she plays for Team World at the Aurora Games.

"Do I have the same drive?" she said during a news conference in the spring in Madrid. "Yes, I do, but it is not my priority anymore because, to be quite frank, if I had a choice, do I go to play a tournament or I spend time with my son, there is no choice. It's going to be my son.

"But I have to work and I have to do things, so I do that sacrifice and I take that job seriously. When I do do my job is the limited time I'm away from my son, and I'm going to make sure I put 100 percent in doing the best I can. Otherwise I won't be doing it."

A winner of 20 WTA career singles and eight doubles titles, including two Grand Slams in each, Azarenka already has the credentials for the Tennis Hall of Fame.

For now, though, she plans to motor on. Azarenka has had some tough luck in Grand Slams this year. She ran into top-seeded Naomi Osaka in the second round of the French Open, and advanced to the third round of Wimbledon before losing to eventual champ Simona Halep.

"There is a difference between losing and not progressing and there's a...