Azarenka announces pregnancy, sits out rest of 2016

Former world number one and two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka announced Friday that she is pregnant and will miss the rest of the season.

The 26-year-old from Belarus said her baby is due towards the end of the year but that she intends to resume her career.

“While recovering from the knee injury I sustained at Roland Garros, I received news from my doctors that my boyfriend and I are going to become parents at the end of the year,” Azarenka said in a statement on Twitter.

“We couldn’t be happier and feel very blessed to begin this exciting journey of building a family together.”

World number six Azarenka, who won the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013, pulled out of the French Open in her first round tie with a knee injury and hasn’t played since.