Athletes are admired by most of the world. Some take it a step further and think of sports stars as beings who can do no wrong. Hence, when they make a mistake, there tends to be immense backlash from the community. Victoria Azarenka has been a champion when it comes to destroying the fantasy image of tennis stars. In a rebuttal to ever-increasing expectations, Azarenka pleaded with fans to let go of the ‘superhuman’ image.

Azarenka aims to break taboos about mental health in the tennis community. She recently interviewed with the Australian Open, where she talked about the nuances behind the understanding of mental health. She also dove deep into how athletes are not perfect in all aspects of life and how fans should not treat them as such. “I feel like athletes and celebrities are put on this pedestal like they’re not human beings, like they’re superhumans and that’s really not true. We’re all human.”

She further talked about the reason athletes may be exalted, “It’s just we are probably really good at our job and that stands out, but that doesn’t mean that we are great at other things. I think what helps me, at least as an athlete, is that determination to improve, to get better, to work on my craft, remain disciplined so in other areas of my life, I can apply those tools and hopefully work on them as well.”

The Belarusian player began her journey of breaking down barriers in 2013 when she was hounded by the media for taking a timeout during the semifinal of the Australian Open. Her journey was long and arduous, as she had to learn how to develop a healthy mindset around emotional health.

Victoria Azarenka on how ‘trial and error’ helped her open up more

In the same interview with the Australian Open, Victoria Azarenka shared how she managed to be more honest with others about her feelings. As per her, there are various ways of talking about mental health. Since she did not come from a background where such conversations were encouraged, she had to observe how others communicated.

“I watched my parents and how they communicate, and people around me how they communicate. For me, it was a trial-and-error type of relationship with that, but we are all still human beings; we still have so much baggage and so many things outside of tennis.”

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As she is more honest with herself and others, the two-time Australian Open champion also found the strength to be honest with her fans and followers. Will her words be heeded, or will they be forgotten by the tennis community?