Victoria Azarenka made the Australian Open earlier today but playing tennis hasn't always given her the joy she felt today.
Azarenka is a grand slam champion who had a long and successful career and winning a grand slam at her age would be another major accomplishment. To do it in Australia where she won twice in the past before would make it even more iconic and after the match, she opened about some of her fears related to tennis.
"I feel like the tennis court triggers a lot of fears, a lot of anxiety. Fear of failing is a big one. To not be able to do what I want to do. So subconsciously, sometimes it stops you from doing it. I think the point of being uncomfortable is scary. I've had panic attacks before. For me to recognize the difference was a hard one."
Despite some of those fears, Azarenka still finds joy on the court. Playing tennis is what she was born to do and what she ultimately loves.
"Being able to accept everything that I'm going through. If I'm not playing well, I'm looking for a solution on how to overcome that, which in a lot of cases in the past, I would just react and be angry. I feel like I'm enjoying the process. It's such a cliche thing to say and a lot of people say that, but I mean it. Even if I said it in the past, I didn't really understand it fully. Now I do."
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