Victoria Azarenka, a professional tennis player from Belarus, achieved the distinction of being world No 1 in singles for the first time on January 30, 2012. She concluded the year as the top-ranked player in 2012 and has maintained the top position for a total of 51 weeks combined. Victoria Azarenka has secured 21 WTA singles titles, among which are two Grand Slam singles championships won at the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013. During her career, until November 2024, she won 38 million USD in prize money, placing her fifth in all-time rankings, and her career record is 605–247.
Born in Minsk, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, on July 31, 1989, Victoria Azarenka began her tennis journey at a young age. At the age of 15, she relocated permanently to Scottsdale, Arizona, United States, to focus on her tennis training and competition. In 2005, as a junior player, she claimed titles at both the Australian Open and the US Open. She finished that season ranked as the junior world No 1 and was honored as the 2005 World Champion by the ITF.
Victoria Azarenka began her professional career with great success, making her debut in November 2003 in Israel. By 2005, she reached her first semifinal in the main tour at the tournament in Guangzhou, China, moving from the qualifying rounds to compete in the main draw.
In 2006, she advanced to the third round of the US Open and made it to the semifinals of the WTA 250 Tashkent Open. By the end of that year, she finished as the runner-up in the $75,000 tournament in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In 2007, she continued to improve her play and gain achievements although being just 16 years old. Victoria Azarenka reached the third rounds of major events like the Australian Open, WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open, WTA 1000 Miami Open, and Wimbledon. Additionally, she was the runner-up at both the WTA 250 Estoril Open and the WTA 250 Tashkent Open. Later that year, she reached the fourth round of the US Open. This strong performance helped her break into the Top 50, and ended the season ranked WTA No 30.
In 2008, Victoria Azarenka had an impressive season that showcased her skill. She reached the final at the WTA 250 Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts and made it to the third round at the Australian Open. In April, she was the runner-up at the WTA 250 Livesport Prague Open and, in May, she reached the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 German Open. At the Grand Slam tournaments, Victoria Azarenka reached the third round of both the US Open and Wimbledon, as well as the fourth round of the French Open. She also reached the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup and participated in the Olympic Games. This outstanding season allowed her to break into the Top 20, finishing the year ranked No. 15 in the world.
In 2009, Victoria Azarenka won her first WTA title at the WTA 250 Brisbane International. She advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open and was the runner-up at the WTA 250 Memphis Open. The year began on a high note for the young player from Belarus, and there was more to come. In March, she reached the semi-finals at the WTA 1000 Indian Wells and achieved her biggest success by winning the WTA 1000 Miami Open, propelling her into the Top 10. Azarenka also reached the quarter-finals at both the French Open and Wimbledon. She competed in the Year-End WTA Tour Championships but was eliminated in the group stage. By the end of the season, Azarenka had climbed to No 7 in the world rankings.
In 2010, the Belarusian tennis player achieved significant milestones, reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup. She was the runner-up at both the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship and the WTA 500 Viking International Eastbourne. Additionally, she secured titles at the WTA 500 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, USA, and the WTA 500 VTB Kremlin Cup. Although she participated in the Year End WTA Tour Championships, she again did not qualify for the knockout stage. By the conclusion of the season, she was ranked No 10 in the world.
In 2011, Victoria Azarenka achieved great success by winning the Miami Open, the Andalucia Tennis Experience, and the Luxembourg Open. She also finished as a runner-up at the WTA 1000 Madrid Open and the Year-End WTA Championships. In Grand Slam events, she advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open, the quarter-finals of the French Open, the semi-finals at Wimbledon, and the third round of the US Open. She finished the year ranked No 3 in the WTA ranking.
In the year 2012, Victoria Azarenka achieved a significant milestone in her professional tennis career by securing her inaugural Grand Slam titles at the prestigious Australian Open. Her remarkable performance did not stop there. She further added to her accolades by winning several other notable tournaments, including the WTA 500 Sydney International, the WTA 1000 Qatar Total Open, the WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open, the WTA 1000 China Open, and the WTA 250 Upper Austria Ladies Linz. In addition to her tournament victories, Victoria Azarenka demonstrated her competitive prowess by finishing as the runner-up at several prominent events, including the US Open, the WTA 1000 Madrid Open, and the WTA 500 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix held in Stuttgart, Germany. Furthermore, she made an impressive run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon, showcasing her skill on one of tennis’s most revered stages. A pinnacle moment in her career came on January 29, when Azarenka ascended to the illustrious position of the world’s number one. She maintained her elite ranking for a substantial portion of the season, underlining her dominance in the sport during that year and solidifying her status as one of the leading figures in women’s tennis.
In 2013, Victoria Azarenka won another Grand Slam championship – Australian Open. During the season, she won the WTA 500 Qatar Total Open and the WTA 1000 Western & Southern Open. She was a runner-up in the US Open, WTA 1000 Rome Open and WTA 500 Southern California Open. She also advanced to the semifinals of the French Open At Roland Garros. She lost her top spot at the beginning of the year and finished the season as the world’s number two.
Victoria Azarenka’s 2014 season was marred by a foot injury that forced her to miss five months of play and ended her season prematurely in September. During the year, she advanced to the quarterfinals of both the Australian and the US Open. In 2015, the situation had not altered much, as Victoria Azarenka’s season was cut short by a foot injury, despite reaching the final of the WTA 500 Qatar Total Open and the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon and US Open. Her season ended prematurely, and she finished the year as the world’s number 22.
Victoria Azarenka began 2016 on a high note, winning the WTA 500 Brisbane International and reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals. In March, she won the WTA 1000 Indian Wells and Miami Open titles. She returned to the world’s top five. Victoria Azarenka revealed her pregnancy on social media on July 15, missing the remainder of the 2016 season.
Victoria Azarenka played in two events in 2017: the WTA 250 Mallorca Open and Wimbledon, where she advanced to the fourth round. She slid out of the Top 100 and finished the season as the world’s No. 210.
The Belarusian tennis player returned to the court in March 2018 to compete in the WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open. She advanced to the second round and was upset by Sloane Stephens. However, in the same month, she advanced to the semifinals of the WTA 1000 Miami Open. By the conclusion of the year, she had not performed well enough, and her highest performance was reaching the third round of the US Open.
Victoria Azarenka finished second in the WTA 250 Abierto GNP Seguros in 2019 and advanced to the WTA 1000 Rome Open quarterfinals.
However, the next year, she resumed her winning streak. Victoria Azarenka won the WTA 1000 Western & Southern Open, finishing second in the US Open and the WTA 500 J&T Banka Ostrava Open. As a result, she went back into the Top 15 and finished the season as the world’s number 13.
In 2021, Victoria Azarenka finished as a runner-up in the WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open, losing to Paula Badosa. During the season she reached the semi-finals of the WTA 500 Qatar TotalEnergies Open and WTA 500 ecotrans Ladies Open, the fourth round of the French Open / Roland Garros, the third round of the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open and the US Open. She ended the season as world’s No 27.
Victoria Azarenka made a great run at the start of the 2022 season, reaching the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 Adelaide International and the Round of 16 at the Australian Open. This was followed by moderate results, before playing again in the Round of 16 at the US Open. In the end of the season, she played in the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open Akron, finishing the season as world’s No 26.
In 2023, Victoria Azarenka started perfectly by reaching the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 Adelaide International and the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Later in February, she played in the Round of 16 at the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships but after that made a series of low results until reaching the fourth round of the Wimbledon during the Summer and the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open Akron in September.
Victoria Azarenka continue playing at a high level in 2024, reaching the semi-finals of the WTA 500 Brisbane International, the fourth round of the Australian Open, and the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 Qatar TotalEnergies Open. In March, she reached the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 Miami Open and in April played in the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 Credit One Charleston Open. During the season, she continued making significant achievements, reaching the quarter-finals of the WTA 1000 Rome Open and WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open, as well as the semi-finals of the WTA 500 ecotrans Ladies Open. During the season she climbed as high as world’s No 16 and ended at world’s No 20.
Victoria Azarenka stats
Singles titles: 21x WTA (2x Grand Slam, 7x WTA 1000, 5x WTA 500)
Grand Slam achievements: Winner at Australian Open (2012, 2013), Runner-up at US Open (2012, 2013, 2020)
Highest WTA ranking in singles: No 1
Doubles titles: 10x WTA
Highest WTA ranking in doubles: No 7
Prize money: 38,050,197 USD
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