Tennis: Victoria Azarenka on motherhood and facing Venus Williams

Victoria Azarenka is proud of the new rules regarding female tennis players and motherhood. Photo / Photosport

Victoria Azarenka wants to be a pioneer for mothers in professional sport - and not just tennis.

The two-time grand slam champion, who will be one of the favourites when the ASB Classic starts tomorrow, has already been a broker of significant change on the WTA tour.

Azarenka, whose son Leo is now two years old, has been a key driver behind the scenes in what has been described as one of the most significant developments in women's tennis in decades.

The WTA introduced new rules last week which effectively give new mothers a three-year window to return to the tour and use a protected ranking.

In the past, it was almost impossible for players to return to top level tennis successfully after giving birth, and most waited until the twilight of their careers to start a family.

Last season, there were just four mums in the top 100 of the WTA tour, and only three females have won grand slams after having babies: Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong and Kim Clijsters.

Now, it is much more feasible, as players will be able to have an extended break, then have a chance to rejoin the circuit without having seen their ranking dive to the depths.

"I'm very proud of the [new] rules," said Azarenka. "I've been in those rooms when all those decisions were happening. We worked really hard the whole of last year to develop those rules to find the solutions and I am very proud that we are being the pioneer in sports, especially in women's sports, [in] taking the stance and making big progress in that area."

But the 29-year-old hopes changes can go further. As an example, aside from the grand slams, which offer day care facilities, none of the other WTA tournaments have babysitter or crèche services for competing parents.

"The important thing [now] is what we are going to do next, and what we can still improve," said Azarenka.

"For me, it is the first step and we have a lot more things that we can improve and we are going to keep doing it."

For Azarenka, who has also endured a protracted custody battle over Leo with her ex-partner, the demands of mixing motherhood and tennis have been huge.

"Coming into it, I thought it would be easier, but it's a very hard balance," said Azarenka. "Now I have more experience but it is still not an easy thing. I need to be really conscious of separating; tennis is my job and being a mum is my life and my priority. But I am getting better at figuring out my own balance and how I feel about it.

"It's not impossible, but it is challenging. The more people [who] do it, the more people [who] express their struggles and achievements in that area, it will be easier for mums overall, not just in sport, but in other jobs, and they can still follow their careers [and be] a parent."

Azarenka reached No1 in the world in 2012, the same year she claimed the first of two Australian Open titles. She has also reached two US Open finals, and was one of the few who could challenge American Serena Williams at her peak.

The road back hasn't been easy, with a run to the semifinals in Miami the highlight of an otherwise underwhelming 2018 season that left her ranked No51. But Azarenka, who faces fellow former world No1 Venus Williams in a blockbuster first-round match on Tuesday, is confident coming into 2019.

"I think I'm a better player overall than I was before," said Azarenka. "I worked very hard this off-season to get in better shape than I was last year physically. It's a matter of putting all those things I have done in practice together and we'll see when it happens. I don't know if it is going to happen here or somewhere down the line this year."