Victoria Azarenka: "My mother was very tough with me, I still carry that guilt when I lose"

Victoria Azarenka recently spoke about a variety of topics pertaining to her personal and professional life and shed light on her complicated relationship with her mother, Alla Azarenka.

The two-time Grand Slam champion has often been outspoken about her opinions on tennis and other issues outside the court. She has now opened up about how her relationship with her mother impacted her mindset while playing matches.

Victoria Azarenka appeared on William Hill's Upfront with Simon Jordan podcast, where she recalled childhood memories of her mother getting sad after she lost matches. Azarenka also shared how Alla's reaction drove her to perform well on the court, albeit under pressure to not disappoint her parents.

"I also kind of put a lot of pressure when I was a kid. My mum was very tough with me. She pushed me. She was getting so sad when I would lose, I didn't want to disappoint her by losing," Azarenka said.

The Belarusian revealed that she carried the guilt of disappointing her parents for a long time and worked hard to find a way to win every match.

"I still carry that guilt when I lose because it happened for quite a long time," she continued. "So when I was competing, I was so scared to lose, so it made me not want to lose any time so I had to find a way how not to."

Azarenka went on to say that what motivated her to consistently perform well was the reminder of all the sacrifices and hard work her parents put in to support her career.

"Some people got motivated but they just hated losing. I was afraid to lose and disappoint, in a way, my mom and everything my parents worked for me like I didn't want it to go to waste," she added.

Azarenka's appearance on the podcast came after her fourth-round exit at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships against Elina Svitolina, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(9).

"There is no way I am losing that match" - Victoria Azarenka on her Australian Open final against Maria Sharapova

Victoria Azarenka at the 2012 Australian Open

Victoria Azarenka also looked back at her first-ever Grand Slam final, which came at the 2012 Australian Open. The 33-year-old was seeded No. 3 and defeated No. 4 seed Maria Sharapova to become the first Belarusian player to lift a Grand Slam title. Azarenka defended her triumph in Melbourne in 2013, defeating Li Na in the final.

On the William Hill's Upfront with Simon Jordan podcast, Azarenka recalled her positive mindset going into the match and how she managed to go through the gears to trounce Sharapova 6-3, 6-0. The win helped Azarenka attain the World No. 1 ranking.

"In the final, I played Sharapova. I was like, 'There is no way I am losing that match. It's not going to happen. I am going to win this match', and I remember I started the match with 2-0 down but I was like, 'No that's going to be my day. Today is going to be my day', and I switched into gear and I never looked back," Victoria Azarenka said.

The current World No. 20 reached the final of the 2012 Australian Open after defeating Heather Watson, Casey Dellacqua, Mona Barthel, Iveta Benesova, Agnieszka Radwanska (No. 8 seed), and defending champion Kim Clijsters (No. 11 seed).