Tennis Prose




Nov/22

18

Azarenka Begins Off Season Training

Viktoria Azarenka with a junior player at Macci Academy.

A Tennis-prose.com correspondent has spotted former WTA world no. 1 Viktoria Azarenka training this week at Rick Macci Academy in Boca Raton, South Florida. Azarenka has a residence in Boca Raton.

Vika hit with a local hitting partner named Zafiros. She worked on her basic hitting on a back court, “just standard stuff.”

She did not play for three weeks until beginning her off-season training Tuesday this week.

The 33 year old who has earned over $34 million in her pro tennis career and 21 WTA singles titles and two Grand Slam singles titles – 2012 and 2013 Australian Open. She also won two more Grand Slams in mixed doubles – 2007 Roland Garros and 2008 Wimbledon – and the 2012 Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles.

2022 was okay by Azarenka’s standards. The Belarussian didn’t win any titles this year but she did win her 500th WTA match win vs Yulia Putintseva in Doha first round. She also reached the fourth round of US Open, losing to Karolina Pliskova in three sets. She also reached the semis in Guadalajara, falling to eventual champ Jess Pegula. Azarenka skipped grass season and Wimbledon because of the ban on Russian and Belarussian players.

Azarenka is sponsored by Nike and Wilson, she uses the Wilson Ultra racquet.

Here is my Biofile interview with Viktoria Azarenka

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6 comments

  • catherine · November 19, 2022 at 1:58 pm

    Well, at least Vika’s sticking to tennis…..

    I don’t know anything about FTX, which is causing a bit of a fuss financially, but I did notice Osaka has some involvement with it:

    ‘Osaka took an equity stake in FTX in March where she would be receiving compensation in Crypto. Signing what was described as a ‘long-term partnership’ to become a global ambassador, the tennis star aimed to draw attention to women joining the platform and she played a role in directing its content.

    “We have seen the statistics about how few women are part of crypto by comparison, which kind of mirrors the inequality we see in other financial markets,” Osaka said earlier this year.

    Osaka, who has won 14 out of 23 matches played this season, has not made any public statement regarding the lawsuit. NFL quarterback Tom Brady, comedian Larry David and basketball team the Golden State Warriors are also defendants in the lawsuit.’

    Naomi maybe should leave the money markets to Raducanu whose interest is finance and whose parents work in the field.

  • Scoop Malinowski · November 19, 2022 at 4:27 pm

    Catherine, we’ve had enough of Osaka or anybody whining about inequality and victimhood. WIsh they’d all just shut up already, bjk included. Just do your best and try to contribute something positive and constructive to the world. All this whining is weakness.

  • catherine · November 20, 2022 at 2:39 am

    Scoop – my point has nothing to do with ‘equality’ – it’s more that Naomi seems to have got involved in some financial scheme which could lose her money and reputation. She’s not alone in that. Some sports stars who know nothing about finance etc can be conned this way. Osaka is just spouting words put into her mouth.

    I’m waiting for her to get back on the court.

  • Scoop Malinowski · November 20, 2022 at 8:04 am

    Catherine, Osaka is always pushing political agendas and activism. I found out recently who pushed her blm grandstanding – it was her father. Osaka was a fantastic tennis player and still can be, she’s also a very good puppet.

  • catherine · November 23, 2022 at 11:22 am

    Several years ago I joined some observers, including Andy Murray, in picking Caroline Garcia as a future No 1, after back-to-back wins in China – and then what ?

    The WTA Finals winner shared a bit of how it’s been and how it feels at 29 to be starting all over again:

    “I cried from pain, sadness and joy in eleven months but I learned so much about myself as a player and as a person,” wrote Caroline in a heartfelt message, shared on social media.
    The Frenchwoman, who climbed from 75 to 4 in the final six months of the season, winning four titles including the prestigious WTA Finals, shared details of her emotional journey, and how she was able to turn the corner from a doubtful, injury-plagued player to a dominant force.
    It was not easy. In her message Garcia details her injury struggles, and the feeling of doom that surrounded her as she searched for a way to find better tennis through better health.
    “Several times I was invaded by doubts, let myself be overwhelmed by the negative. I questioned the universe, told myself that maybe my luck had passed, that I would never succeed again,” she wrote. “I’ve had sleepless nights, binge eating; I cried in my hotel room, cried on tennis court, have been on crutches, swore, relearned to walk…
    “I suffered physically and mentally but I also learned from every moment, every difficulty. My foot injury made me realize how much I wanted to come back to the courts and above all play my real game, the one I like to watch – offensive tennis. I love going to the net, hitting winners drop volleys, slamming aces to be inside the courts on the return.”
    Now that she has finished the season inside the top-4, 29-year-old Garcia says she plans to continue her improvements in 2023.
    “I have the feeling that I can still improve my game so much,” she wrote. “I like to push my limits, challenge myself and I’d like to play that way. It’s time to decompress, digest and enjoy living the present moment.”

    Hope things work out for her in 2023.

  • Scoop Malinowski · November 23, 2022 at 4:56 pm

    Hope Caro Garcia keeps rising and winning big titles. Her story sounds like just about every other player, they all have to overcome so much heartbreak and adversity to get to the top. It almost doesn’t even need to be said. No tennis player ever cruised to the top in pro tennis, not a single one. I hope she proves Murraystradamus right.

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