Former world number 1 Victoria Azarenka’s resilience is another testament to the generation of tennis that won’t back down. The 34-year-old Vika is known for her aggressive playing style, competitive spirit, and intense grunts on-court. As one of the top players, she is still a formidable force in the WTA tours. Although, the demands of tennis might be getting to her yet again.
Over the last several months, the Belarussian was roped into controversies and policies due to the Russian-Ukraine war and the impact that it has had on the world of tennis. However, Vika always respected her opponent’s wishes and never let the controversies affect her cool. Regardless of all the drama and politics, she has tried to be as consistent with the tournaments as possible this year, but her past injuries hindered her journey.
Why did Victoria Azarenka withdraw from Canadian Open?
This would be the second consecutive year Vika missed the Canadian Open due to unfortunate circumstances. Last year, even though the Belarussian abided by the regulations, her visa was denied due to the Russian-Ukraine issue. To express her love for the tournament and her devastation, she wrote, “It’s truly disappointing. It’s very sad to miss one of my favorite tournaments. I love to play in Canada with great fans and a place where I made many friends over the years.”
Unfortunately, Victoria will not be able to play on one of her favorite courts this year as well. However, given her competitive spirit and resilience, fans know that she will raise back stronger.
Victoria Azarenka’s previous injury comes back to haunt her
The two-time Australian Open champion has not mentioned which of her past injuries has come back to affect her this time and given her track record of injuries, it won’t be an easy task to deduct which one. In her 20 decades as a professional tennis star, the physical demands of the sport have taken a lot from her. During her career peak in 2012-2013, she had a major injury in her right knee and left wrist that was a snag for several months.
After the birth of her first child, Vika stepped back on the tennis court and started touring while being conscious of her physical health. Following this as well, she had several issues hindering her tennis journey.
Back in 2021, she even pulled out of the quarter-finals of the warm-up Grampians Trophy due to a lower-back injury. She was also found complaining about difficulties in breathing in the Australian Open.
Tennis is an extremely physically demanding sport and while it keeps challenging the former World No. 1 again and again, she has not backed down either. This shows the fervent passion and determination of the athlete.
What are your thoughts on the demands of tennis and the 90s-born tennis stars (Victoria Azarenka, Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori, to name a few) who are just unwilling to give up? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
