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Following her first-round victory at the 2023 Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships, Victoria Azarenka expressed her displeasure with players being constantly questioned about their retirement.
Azarenka, the 15th seed, advanced to the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament on Monday, February 2. She defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 7-5 at the Aviation Club Tennis Center.
Victoria Azarenka then spoke at a press conference about how older tennis players are constantly questioned about retirement, which she called a "waste of time." The Belarusian believes that if anyone is about to retire, they will let everyone know.
"I feel like when there are players who are older, like me, older in tennis, not older in life, I'm very young still, I see a lot of people keep asking about retirement. Once they retire, it's like, We miss them," Azarenka said.
"It's like let's not waste this time before everybody retires to talk about retirement. People will let you guys know when it's time, and that's kind of it," she added.
Azarenka then advised everyone to "mind their own business," because when a player is ready to retire, they will do so in their own way.
"But I see that coming up all the time, those comments. Oh, the age. You know, mind your business in a way. Like you really should mind your business," Azarenka said.
"When it's ready, everybody's going to announce it one way or the other, and there's going to be a parade for some, maybe some not. Maybe some just say bye and you never see them again. Whatever choice it is, just leave it up to people. That's my opinion," she added.
"I'm hoping to play a little bit more this year, a bit more consistency through the tournaments" - Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka was then asked if she was happy with her current form. The Belarusian replied that it was difficult to tell because she felt she played really well in the Qatar Open but faced a "great" opponent in the form of Belinda Bencic.
She added that her first-round win in Dubai was much-needed because her competitive side was "frustrated."
"I mean, honestly it's kind of hard to tell. I feel like I'm playing well. I felt like I played really well in Doha. I didn't convert the match, but I played against a great opponent who has a lot of confidence, a lot of momentum," Azarenka said.
"Even though there's a lot of positives to take out of that, the competitive side of me is kind of frustrated. It was important to go through today with those momentum shifts a little bit and find the way," she added.
Victoria Azarenka then disclosed her goal for the ongoing 2023 season, which is to play more consistently throughout the tournaments.
"The season is long. I'm hoping to play a little bit more this year, a bit more consistency through the tournaments, and really see how I can build throughout the season. I'm excited for that," she said.
The World No. 14 will next lock horns with American Amanda Anisimova in the second round.
