Victoria Azarenka says she has sympathy for Novak Djokovic who has faced questions over the validity of his hamstring injury after going through a similar situation.
21-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic came into the Australian Open with concerns over a hamstring problem which he underwent treatment on earlier this month at the Adelaide International. During some matches, he was seen moving tentatively at times but more recently such issues have not been seen. On Monday he thrashed Alex de Minaur in straight sets with a clinical performance in the fourth round.
Shortly after his latest win, Djokovic was asked by Serbian media to comment on some reports suggesting that he has implied that his injury is more serious than it is. Meanwhile, when asked about the former world No.1’s current fitness de Minaur responded ‘either I’m not a good enough tennis player to expose that or… it looked good to me.’ The Australian later said on social media that his remarks were taken out of context and he was simply outplayed.
“I leave the doubting to those people – let them doubt,” said Djokovic, who faced similar questions at the 2021 Australian Open when he was nursing an abdominal issue. “Only my injuries are questioned. When some other players are injured, then they are the victims, but when it is me, I am faking it. It is very interesting… I don’t feel that I need to prove anything to anyone.’
“I am not really interested at this point in what people are thinking and saying. It is fun, it is interesting to see how the narrative surrounding me continues, narrative that is different compared to other players that have been going through similar situations. But I am used to it, and it just gives me extra strength and motivation. So I thank them for that.”
However, Djokovic isn’t the only player to have faced scrutiny over his fitness. Azarenka was in a similar situation back in 2013 when she played Sloane Stephens in the Australian Open semi-finals. Ranked No.1 at the time, she took a 10-minute timeout after failing to serve out the match and squandering five match points. At the time she was accused of bending the rules with Stephens’ former coach, David Nainkin, suggesting that she cheated.
The incident continues to be a raw subject for Azarenka who said following her latest win over Jessica Pegula at the Australian Open that it was ‘one of the worst moments of her career.’
“The way I was treated after that moment, the way I had to explain myself until 10:30 p.m at night because people didn’t want to believe me. I actually can resonate with what Novak said the other day.” Azarenka told reporters.
“There is sometimes an incredible desire for a villain and a hero story that has to be written. But we’re not villains, we’re not heroes, we are regular human beings that go through so many, many things. Assumptions and judgments, all those comments, are just s**t because nobody’s there to see the full story. It didn’t matter how many times I said my story, it did not cut through.”
“t took me 10 f***ing years to get over it. I am finally over that.”
Over time, 33-year-old Azarenka says she has learned to cope with such situations by being more confident in herself. So far in her career she has won 21 Tour titles and has held the No.1 position for 51 weeks.
“I’ve been called that I’m cheating, that I’m faking, that I was trying to throw people off their game. It’s everything that is so wrong about my character if somebody actually knows me,” she said.
“Now I just don’t care. I am more and more confident in what I know about myself, and I’m at peace with that. Those comments, judgments, they’re there. I notice them. But I don’t care.”
Azarenka will play Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. She now has won 153 Grand Slam matches which places her joint-13th for the most wins by a female singles player in the Open Era.
