Victoria Azarenka recently opened up about her friendship with tennis legend Chris Evert after reaching the semifinals at Miami Open 2024.
Azarenka downed Yulia Putintseva 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinal clash, thus taking a 3-0 lead in the head-to-head against the Kazakh.
Azarenka broke Putintseva five times whereas the latter converted six break points. The Belarusian committed five double faults, served just two aces, and won a total of 102 points during the match. On the other hand, Putintseva steered clear of double faults, hit five aces, and won 108 points.
After the win over Putintseva, Azarenka sat down in the press conference to answer a few questions from the media. One of the journalists asked the 34-year-old about her relationship with Chris Evert, as she once trained at her academy in Boca Raton, Florida.
The Belarusian responded by calling the American a friend and someone she looked up to.
"Chrissie is a dear friend, for sure. I definitely look up to her. As you said, she's an incredible legend of our sport. What she has done for women's tennis is undeniable. I feel like we don't necessarily talk so much about tennis. I really appreciate her as a person," the 34-year-old replied.
Azarenka further suggested that Evert always makes an effort to stay in touch despite her struggle with cancer.
"She's been going through some difficult moments in the last few years. Definitely just trying to kind of support her in that way. But she's always checking in on me, always wishing me the best. She believes in me pretty strongly," Victoria Azarenka added.
In December 2021, Evert was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The 18-time Grand Slam champion recovered from the illness by January 2023 but it returned 11 months later and she has been undergoing treatment since then.
Victoria Azarenka to face Elena Rybakina in Miami Open SF
Victoria Azarenka will next face last year's runner-up and fourth seed Elena Rybakina in the semifinals of the Miami Open. The Kazakh booked her place in the last four after beating Maria Sakkari 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-4 in a tightly-contested quarterfinal.
Azarenka has played against Rybakina on three occasions and lost every time. The most recent encounter between the two came in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships, with the former World No, 1 being forced to retire after the end of the second set, which Rybakina won 6-2 after losing the first.
Azarenka is ciurrently ranked 32nd in the world and has won 14 out of 19 matches so far in 2024.
