Mother of 3, Kim Clijsters Reveals How She Forged a Special Bond With Victoria Azarenka Over Shared Struggles as a Tennis Player
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via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 24, 2023 Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka waves to fans after winning her quarter final match against Jessica Pegula of the U.S. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Victoria Azarenka‘s amazing performance at the Miami Open has left fans stunned. While she competes against the toughest of opponents like Elena Rybakina, there’s one thing that the fans are currently wondering. How is she managing to be dominant, even after being a mom of a teenage son?
While not everything is visible when it comes to the tennis scene, the Belarusian has proved to be good at handling the struggles, even after surviving on top of the competitors in the tennis scene. In a recent interview, co-player and another tennis mom Kim Clijsters mentioned how she shares a sense of understanding with her own and Azarenka’s life as tennis moms.
Highlighting the unique connection she shares with fellow player Victoria Azarenka, Clijsters expressed how refreshing it is to connect with someone who truly understands the challenges of balancing a career with motherhood. She mentioned, “It’s so nice to be able to share your personal stories with women who know what you’ve gone through your whole life in a big sense, right?”
In my chat with Kim Clijsters about comebacks & motherhood, I asked if she felt a bond with working tour moms like Victoria Azarenka (they played an exhibition last year)https://t.co/tl1J9JV4zc
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— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) March 28, 2024
Along with mentioning the common feeling, she also mentioned how there are some aspects that only she could feel, before finding common ground with Azarenka. “There’s nobody who really understands what I’ve gone through. There’s nobody who understands the pressures or the commitment of starting to play tennis when you’re five years old and doing only that for almost your whole life until you become a mother,” Clisters added.
Azarenka, who welcomed her child in 2016, not only stunned the tennis world with her excellent balance but also stands to be an example of using family as a strength and not an excuse. However, it isn’t just Kim Clijsters who found common ground with other tennis moms.
Victoria Azarenka encourages tennis moms who are ‘breaking stereotypes’
Besides Kim Clijsters’ comment that personally appreciated the understanding with Victoria Azarenka, the Belarusian took this similar feeling to a new level. During one of her conferences at Brisbane International this year, Vika expressed excitement over the fact that WTA stars are consistently stepping into the game, even after becoming moms.
Victoria Azarenka says the stereotype that athletes can’t come back after becoming moms has been broken, but there’s still work to do:
Vika: “I'm very excited to see players are coming back. I've said it few years ago already. I think we broke the stereotype that you become an… pic.twitter.com/NOnDWEA53i
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) December 30, 2023
“I’m very excited to see players are coming back. I’ve said it a few years ago already. I think we broke the stereotype that you become an athlete and have a family,” she said. “This definitely has been broken. It’s actually evolved more and more. The testament of that is how many players are feeling comfortable and confident coming back and continue being on tour.”
As Azarenka continues to share the understanding with other tennis moms along with setting examples for the ones who still haven’t traveled this road, the positive impact of it is sure to spread.
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