INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — The last time Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka played tennis in this stretch of desert, they faced each other in the final of the 2016 BNP Paribas Open. Azarenka won, 6-4, 6-4.
Since then, the landscape has changed dramatically for both of them. The particulars differ, but they are both mothers now, each trying to square that new responsibility and daily delight with a longstanding ambition to remain tennis champion.
Both are far from that at the moment. Azarenka, who was ranked No. 1 for a time in 2012 and 2013, has played just two tournaments in the past 21 months because of her pregnancy and a custody dispute, and is now No.