“It’s like we’re wasting their last years,” Victoria Azarenka hits out on constant retirement questions
The Belarusian was critical of people in the tennis world constantly questioning older players about their retirement
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Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka has replied sternly to the people who keep peppering her with questions about her retirement plans. She stated that these people should allow players to announce such vital decisions in their own time instead of being pressured to give constant updates. She also said that asking these questions feels like wasting the final years of older players’ careers.
Azarenka was replying to another question on her retirement and said, “Yes, I mentioned it before I came back in 2020. I wasn’t sure if I would play again. I feel like when you have players who are older, like me, older in tennis, not older in life, I see a lot of people keep asking about the retirement and once they do they suddenly miss them.” She questioned the obsession some have with older players’ retirement plans.
Azarenka further said, “It’s like we’re wasting their last years to talk about their future retirement. People will let them know when it’s time, and that’s it. But I see those comments come up all the time.” She clarified that she would not accept any more retirement questions. Azarenka has proved to be far from retirement as she has experienced a renaissance that has seen her recapture her best level.
The 33-year-old former World No.1 was brilliant at the Australian Open. She reached the furthest she had reached in a Grand Slam in three years and showed she belonged at the very top. Azarenka has started her second spell at this high level and hopes to stay here for some time.
Related: Victoria Azarenka showers huge praise on Nick Kyrgios’s serve confessing of wanting it herself
Victoria Azarenka’s brilliant start to 2023
Azarenka started 2023 with a bang. She began her year at the Adelaide International 1. She won her first two matches at this warmup tournament in straight sets. She crashed out to youngster Linda Noskova, but the matches served their purpose.
Azarenka went into the Australian Open as the 24th seed. She wasn’t fancied as a title contender entering the Slam. But Azarenka proved everyone wrong with her run in Melbourne. She started with consecutive straight-set wins in her first two rounds. She then stunned World No.10 Maddison Keys in the third round in a comeback three-set victory. She followed it with another hard-fought win in the fourth round.
Azarenka faced her practice partner and World No.3 Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinal. She was expected to be knocked out in a match against a higher-ranked opponent. But Azarenka pulled off a straight sets victory to set up a semifinal clash against eventual finalist Elena Rybakina. Though she crashed out in that match, Azarenka again found herself amongst the best in tennis.
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Samarth Srivastava
(139 Articles Published)