Azarenka’s mom and grandma helped her to not quit tennis in 2011
Azarenka’s mom and grandma helped her to not quit tennis in 2011
After two bad tournaments in Doha and Dubai in 2011 Victoria Azarenka admits that she nearly quit the game.
Last year at the Qatar Open she lost in the first round to Daniel Hantuchova, and then went on to the Dubai Open, where she lost second round to Flavia Pennetta.
Those defeats plunged Azarenka into such despair that a spell of support and advice from her mother and grandmother was required to convince her not to quit.
“My mum told me to come home and rest, and not be crazy about it,” she admitted. “And my gran pointed out there are things so much harder in life than tennis matches.”
“It was just not fun for me to do, because I’m the type of player that plays with a lot of passion, a lot of desire,” Azarenka said.
“Every time I was stepping on the court, it was like a misery to me, so I just told my mom, I don’t want to play anymore because it’s not fun. She’s like, ‘You know what? I think maybe you’re tired, you’re burned out. Just come home and see what happens.”’
“Last year by this time I was a little bit of a mess. I couldn’t control any of my emotions, and I didn’t really enjoy any part playing tennis,” she said. “But when I came back after Doha to Indian Wells I had to change, my mentality on court, the way I approached the match, the way I approached the tough moment.”
“I just try to accept and deal with it deal with the situation. Every opponent is going to try to beat me, beat the other players. I just try to stay really focused on each moment because I know it doesn’t matter what the score is. You always have a chance until the match is done.”
Rather than quitting, Azarenka took a brief break and it did her wonders.
She had best season in 2011, winning 55 of 72 matches to finish the year at No. 3. She returned in 2012, winning the Australian Open and becoming No. 1 for the first time in her career. Ahead of a Qatar Open semifinal against Agnieszka Radwanska, she is on a 15-match winning streak.
Azarenka credits her transformation to a greater maturity on the court instilled by her coach Sam Sumyk and improved fitness which has helped cut down on injuries and given her greater stamina. Hindered in the past by her emotions, Azarenka no longer has midcourt meltdowns, muttering to herself or even dissolving in tears when she starts losing control of a match.`
Azarenka clearly seems to be having much more fun as the No. 1.
She fills every news conference with jokes—asked about baggage of being No. 1, she joked she always travels with lots of bags. She is more open and talkative than ever before, sharing her new love for photography and recalling stories about her grandmother whom she has called “one of the most optimistic people on the planet.”
Azarenka insists she remains the same “hard working tennis player” she was before Australia, though she admits her celebrity status is on the rise and more players are motivated to beat her.
“Of course it’s a great thing to win the major, but as I mentioned before, I want to keep going the same way, and I am just hungry for the new ones to come,” she said of her desire to win Olympic gold this year along with more Grand Slams. “I mean, it’s a great feeling to have that, but it’s time to move on and work harder to get another one.”
“It’s a great feeling to have, but also a lot of responsibility and pressure comes with it,” she says of her rise to number one.
“I worked really hard to achieve this and I enjoy this position, but I have to remember to still work hard, because there are a lot of girls behind me who want to chase me and be at my spot.”
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