Victoria Azarenka Says She is Proud of the new WTA rules
Tennis – Former World No. 1 says she is very proud of the new WTA rules that make it easier for women to come back to the sport after giving birth. The Belarusian, who has a 20year-old son, has been an instrumental part of the change that has come about as she was part of the internal discussions on the same.
In an interview to New Zealand Herald, Azarenka says, Im very proud of the [new] rules. Ive been in those rooms when all those decisions were happening. We worked really hard the whole of last year to develop those rules to find the solutions and I am very proud that we are being the pioneer in sports, especially in womens sports, [in] taking the stance and making big progress in that area.
The important thing [now] is what we are going to do next, and what we can still improve. Talking about her own experience coming back to the tour as a mother, Azarenka says, Coming into it, I thought it would be easier, but its a very hard balance.
Now I have more experience but it is still not an easy thing. I need to be really conscious of separating; tennis is my job and being a mum is my life and my priority. But I am getting better at figuring out my own balance and how I feel about it.
Its not impossible, but it is challenging. The more people [who] do it, the more people [who] express their struggles and achievements in that area, it will be easier for mums overall, not just in sport, but in other jobs, and they can still follow their careers [and be] a parent. Azarenka begins her season at the ASB Classic in Auckland when she takes on another former World No.
1 Venus Williams in the first round.
