“Scary For Me”: Victoria Azarenka Reveals Getting Intimidated By Serena Williams

Published 04/30/2021, 10:30 AM EDT

Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams have an intense rivalry in tennis. The two tennis superstars love to compete against each other and have played some amazing matches against one another. Even though Serena leads the head-to-head battle 18-5, Azarenka has always proved to be a tough competitor for her.

In a recent interview, Victoria Azarenka revealed what it is like to play against Serena Williams. The two players faced each other in the US Open finals in 2012 and 2013, and interestingly, it was Serena who emerged as the champion on both occasions.

“I watched Serena obviously before I was on tour,” began Azarenka. “I mean it’s hard not to get intimidated because I always say it’s a skill, what she does, what some other players do, and I learned that skill… It’s very valuable. For me, that was exciting. The bigger the challenge was, it was exciting for me.”

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Azarenka highlighted that she loves to take challenges. She mentioned that even though Serena used to scare her, she always wanted to face her and the toughest players on tour.

“I wanted to play the toughest players, I wanted to play on the biggest stages… It was scary for me, of course, it was scary, to go out there in front of 25,000 people and feel like I don’t want to embarrass myself but that always drove me, what motivated me to practice harder,” added the World No. 15 player.

Victoria Azarenka admits that playing against Serena Williams made her a better player

The Belarusian player also accepted that Serena made her a better player. She also disclosed how she grew up as a tennis player.

“I always looked her at somebody who I know is gonna make me suffer, but it’s gonna make me better. So the intimidation factor from how I grew up and what I’ve gone through when I was a kid, that wasn’t scary,” stated the 2-time Grand Slam winner.

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Azarenka clearly got over the fear Serena would make her feel. She recently ended up as the runner-up of the US Open 2020 after eliminating Serena in the semis of the Grand Slam.

Victoria Azarenka will soon begin her campaign at the Mutua Madrid Open 2021. She’ll be up against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of the tournament, which will take place today. Will Azarenka be able to conquer Madrid this year?

Is Serena Williams Playing at Mutua Madrid Open 2021?

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Anshul Singh is a tennis author at EssentiallySports, currently pursuing Journalism Honors from Delhi University. Having significant experience with content, Anshul has authored over 500 tennis articles. He has previously worked as a writer and an editor for DU Express, penning riveting articles on sports, politics, and culture.

“Scary For Me”: Victoria Azarenka Reveals Getting Intimidated By Serena Williams

Victoria Azarenka admits that playing against Serena Williams made her a better player

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