“You don’t see it with a lot of players” - Victoria Azarenka praises Venus and Serena Williams' open-mindedness and diverse interests

Victoria Azarenka recently shared her admiration for the Williams sisters' passion for tennis as well as their diverse interests outside of the court.

During her post-match press conference, after a grueling 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Yue Yuan, Victoria Azarenka highlighted the unwavering passion Venus and Serena Williams show for the sport despite their already impressive achievements.

"Both of them, Serena and Venus, I feel like they have always had their own road, they chose their own path, they opened doors that probably weren't open for other people earlier," Azarenka said.

In particular, she praised Venus' determination and spirit.

"The way that Venus comes and fights and still goes after what she wants, it's really admirable," she stated.

The Belarusian former world number one also noted how the Williams sisters have raised the bar in women's tennis.

"I played with them when they were already at the top. I watched them when I was growing up. The impact is huge," she added.

Victoria Azarenka didn't only commend the tennis icons for their on-court prowess. She also appreciated their off-court pursuits, highlighting the importance of having a well-rounded life outside of tennis.

"To see how much they do outside of the tennis court, and the interest -- you don't see it also with a lot of players, how diverse and how open-minded they are with their lives. It's very, very cool to see," Azarenka noted.

Furthermore, she admitted to drawing inspiration from the Williams sisters, both for their on-court performances and their ventures beyond tennis.

"I also take inspiration, like, oh, you kind of have to remind yourself sometimes why do you do things? Because it's so easy to get caught in results and expectations and everything. Then, you know, those moments of like little inspiration I definitely take them for myself," Azarenka confessed.

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Victoria Azarenka to face Nadia Podoroska in the second round of Wimbledon

Victoria Azarenka plays a backhand at Wimbledon

The former Australian Open champion (2012 and 2013) beat Yuan in a close match with a scoreline of 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, securing her spot in the tournament's second round. This is Victoria Azarenka's 154th win in women's singles Grand Slam main draws, helping her equal the tally of Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Azarenka is now in 12th place on the list in the Open Era, having surpassed the legendary Martina Hingis too.

Victoria Azarenka will next face Nadia Podoroska, who has a grass court record of 1-3 over the past year. A closer look at Podoroska's statistics reveals a service game win rate of 59.3% and a return game rate of 11.1% on grass.

The Argentinian player has converted 42.9% of her break-point chances on grass (three out of seven) over the previous year. However, her last tournament saw her suffer an early exit in the round of 32, losing 6-2, 6-2 to Emma Navarro at the Bad Homburg Open.

Despite not having a tournament win on grass to her name in the past 12 months, Azarenka's experience could be a game-changer in the upcoming match.

Her statistics for the same period display a win rate of 72.4% (21 out of 29) in service games and 16.7% (5 out of 30) in return games on grass courts. Azarenka's most recent match before Wimbledon was on June 20 at the bett1open, where she faced a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.