Roaring again: Azarenka rolled back the years in Melbourne last month, entering the last four of the Australian Open and looking every inch the player who had won the tournament ten years ago.
Finding a way: Azarenka said changing her mindset and conquering her anxiety had helped her both on and off the court.
Four years ago — after losing in the first round of the Australian Open, the scene of her greatest triumphs — a despondent Victoria Azarenka vowed to fight her way out of a career-threatening slump and recapture the form that earned her two Grand Slam singles titles in Melbourne.
She wiped away tears as she contemplated the challenge, following several years disrupted by injury, a break for the birth of son Leo in 2016 and a messy custody battle.
“It’s not easy to be positive but I don’t have a choice,” said Azarenka, who was then ranked just outside the top 50, having sunk as low as No. 208 two years earlier, in 2017.
She said she maintained a burning ambition to rejoin the game’s elite and believed hard work was the only way to get there. “[This result is] not going to stop me. No matter how much it hurts, I have to learn from it. I’ve never really learned how to struggle before, so it’s a lesson.”
The Belarusian has embraced the struggle, learning to make peace with her imperfections. And while she hasn’t tasted Grand Slam success again, the 33-year-old is in a far better place than she was during the dark days that followed her ascent to the top.
Hitting a rut
After a prosperous run of 10 Major tournaments between 2011 and 2013 — she won two Grand Slam crowns, finished runner-up twice, made the semifinals on three other occasions and got to World No. 1 — Azarenka hit a rut, in terms of results. Troubled by a foot injury among other niggles and dealing with personal challenges off the court, she missed eight of the next 25 Major events and did not make it past the quarterfinals when she did compete.
The tennis she produced at the 2020 US Open — she made a stirring run to the final — was the first indication that she was working things out. But it took two more seasons of mediocre results at the Slams before she rolled back the years in Melbourne last month, entering the last four.
Although she lost to Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, Azarenka beat 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, tenth seed Madison Keys and in-form third seed Jessica Pegula in a strong campaign. She looked every inch the…
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