Home

Tennis

‘Unfortunate That She Was Pregnant’ – Victoria Azarenka’s Former Coach Says She Was on the Way to Become the WTA World Number One

Published 12/23/2022, 1:52 PM EST

Follow Us

via Getty

A coach plays an important part in supporting the journey of a player to the top; providing years of accumulated experience, work, and lessons. And so was the contribution of Wim Fissette, who supported players like Victoria Azarenka, Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters, and others on their journey to realize their potential.

During an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Fissette was asked about the developments in the game of the former world no.1, Victoria Azarenka. The coach detailed major developments, as well as setbacks that he suffered as a coach.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

How did he strengthen the former World No.1’s game? What was the major setback that he suffered?

Victoria Azarenka’s coach on how she missed out on securing the WTA No.1 rank

Any tennis fan would surely acknowledge Victoria Azarenka’s powerful backhand. The Belarusian player is famous for her strong backhand strokes, on the WTA Tour, particularly. Hence, during the interview, Fissette was asked about his contribution to the development of the technical nuances in the former World No.1’s game.

‘Some Getting Paid 10-12 Million’- Victoria Azarenka’s Sarcastic Swipe at WTA While Talking About Humongous Salaries of College Football Coaches With Former NFL Star

He humbly detailed his contribution and said, “Backhand, maybe the best backhand on the women’s tour. And as a coach, I learned a lot from VicAz (Victoria Azarenka). That’s the interesting part, the backhand side that was already before my time. It was one of the best shots in women’s tennis and I learned...”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

He further added about their effort on making her strong parts stronger. And how he carried on his learning to other players. “I learned a lot, like how to develop it better, and how to activate the right muscles; so I learned a lot from her. And used it actually with other players I work with…”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

However, the coach also opened up on improving her troublesome serve and strengthening her forehand. “We definitely worked on the serve. The serve before that was an issue, not enough power on the first serve and the second serve a little bit more instable. So that was a very important point. And also we tried to make the forehand a little bit of a bigger weapon than in the past.”

Watch this story- Serena Williams Once Revealed Why She Didn’t Despise Her 80-Year-Old Ailing Father Amid His Refusal to Attend Her Wedding: ‘Doesn’t Look Like Himself’

However, before they could reap the result of their work, Azarenka was announced her pregnancy. And that sure did hurt their ambition to be on the top; the World No.1 again. As he further added, “…And yeah, for me, it was of course unfortunate that she was pregnant in 2016 because she was for me like on the way to become no. 1.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Certainly, it was a journey full of ebbs and flows, and lots of learning.

What do you think about Azarenka’s journey? Let us know in the comments.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Deepakshi Chaudhary

166Articles

One take at a time

Deepakshi Chaudhary is a Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. She is currently pursuing her Masters at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, and has worked as an editor for a reputed sports website. Watching Serena Williams dominate the WTA Tour in her heyday is what inspired Deepakshi to follow tennis.
Show More>

Edited by:

Tony Thomas