Victoria Azarenka, one of the biggest names in WTA, has been looking for a while to get back to the top form she had during the 2020 season. To witness success at the highest level, all athletes are trained to handle adversities on and off the field.

Two-time major champion Azarenka is of no exception to this and her grit on a tennis court is proof of her determined mindset. Speaking about the struggles a player goes through to get success, Azarenka shared a childhood memory to back her belief.

Victoria Azarenka details childhood story to explain how she gets to be so determined

“I had actually a pretty bad experience. When I was 10 and the first time I came to the States, I was with this family and they were helping out and I did something really bad and they punished me for it. It was silly, like thinking about it, I jumped in the pool where you were not supposed to jump. You’re a 10-year-old right? So, they said I wasn’t listening. I wasn’t behaving well.”

As a result of the family sending Azarenka back to her home, she missed a tournament.

The Belarusian continued, “That made me feel so, so, bad and I was like, I’m never gonna lose another opportunity like that again. So, that made me feel like I’m gonna prove to these people that they were wrong for doing that and that determination and that intensity just rised up.”

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Watch this story: Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and other tennis stars who featured in the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Azarenka stands tall despite having faced hardships on and off the court

The former World no.1 has been through loads of hardships in her career, both on and off the court. Every injury dents a player’s will to continue but what helps in such situations is mental strength. Even though her injuries snatched some important tournaments from her, Azarenka stood firm and witnessed massive success on the WTA tour.

Every player earns love and respect through their actions and dedication towards the game. This goes for Victoria as well. There have been events where Victoria has shown that tennis isn’t just a game about winning or losing.

Recently, she showed immense determination during her Indian wells match-up against Elena Rybakina as she broke into tears and didn’t appear to be in a position to continue. After collecting herself,  the Belarusian managed to push past her troubles and completed the match with a straight sets loss.

Read more: ‘Violence Is Never Justified’- Victoria Azarenka Addresses Ongoing Tensions Around the World