Novak Djokovic is dealing with a lot at the 2023 Australian Open, and Victoria Azarenka can relate with him.
Back in 2013, Azarenka was the first-seeded in Melbourne and she was one of the biggest favourites to win. In her semifinal match, the Belarusian fought with an injury, and after the match, she was accused of faking it to gain an advantage by taking a medical time out.
Ten years later, Djokovic faces a similar situation. The Serbian is the biggest favourite to win at the 2023 Australian Open, but he's fighting a hamstring injury that is doubted by many. After her quarterfinal victory, Azarenka spoke about Djokovic's situation, saying:
"I actually can resonate what Novak said the other day. There is sometimes, like, I don't know, 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."