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‘Football Field Was Now My Platform’ – NFL Star Brandon Marshall Talks to Victoria Azarenka About God’s Life-Changing Epiphany

Published 09/17/2022, 9:10 AM EDT

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So far this season, Victoria Azarenka doesn’t seem to have a great time on the court. Even though she displayed her best skills on the court, she was not able to claim a single title. The Belarusian star has been a professional tennis player for nearly two decades now.  

On the other hand, the two-time grand slam champion started a talk show where various athletes talk about their mental health problems and other heartfelt conversations. Recently, NFL star Brandon Marshall had a one-on-one conversation with Azarenka on her show.

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Brandon Marshall opens up about his mental health struggles

The tennis star has recently started a show ‘Think About it with Victoria Azarenka’. The NFL legend joined the former world number one Azarenka for an emotional rollercoaster interview where they discuss how important it is to take care of athletes’ wellness not only physically but also mentally. And then, how therapy changes his way of life.

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The NFL star said, “A lot of people think black and white, they don’t have the skills and tools to be able to self-regulate or have the rationale to be able to process. So, I had to go through mentalization therapy… and it totally changed my life.” Being number one during his time, he had to face a lot of pressure and difficulties in normal life. New Orleans Saints player was one of the first footballers to talk about his struggles with mental health.

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Further, in this therapy process, there was a moment when he realized that football was his way of living and helping people. He added, “Football was my plan A, my Plan B, and my plan C. It defined who I was halfway through that. That program is when I finally realized why God put me on this earth. He put me on this earth to help bridge the gap in the mental health community. I knew that. I knew that the football field was now my platform.” 

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Victoria Azarenka did not have a good US Open run

Azarenka is a two-time winner of the Australian Open championship. She is one of the few players who have played over 100 grand slam draw victories. Out of those, 44 came out to be at the US Open. Serena and Venus Williams, the iconic sister duo, are the only players who have won more matches at Flushing Meadows. 

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For the eighth time in her career, the 33-year-old advanced in the US Open Round of 16. However, she was not able to move past this round as Karolína Plíšková defeated the tennis star in the round of 16.

Due to her visa problem, the two-time grand slam winner was unable to compete in the Canadian Open earlier this year. After that, in the second round of Cincinnati 2022, she faced defeat by the reigning US Open champion, Emma Raducanu

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Written by:

Pratishtha Prakash

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Pratishtha Prakash is a Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. She has completed her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media and Journalism from MIT ADT University, Pune. In the past, she has interned at the sports desk of The Hitavada, a regional English daily newspaper.
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Edited by:

Jito Tenson