History of Victoria Azarenka in Timeline

Victoria Azarenka is a highly accomplished Belarusian professional tennis player. She achieved the world No. 1 ranking, holding the top spot for 51 weeks. Her career highlights include winning 21 WTA Tour-level singles titles. Notably, she secured two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open in 2012 and 2013, making her the first Belarusian to win a major singles title.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

2005: Coached by António van Grichen

From 2005 to 2009, Victoria Azarenka was coached by António van Grichen.

2007: First Meeting with Maria Sharapova

In 2007, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova had their first match, with Azarenka winning in the second round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

2007: First Match Against Marion Bartoli

In 2007, Victoria Azarenka played against Marion Bartoli. Over their careers, they played 12 times, with Azarenka leading the head-to-head 9-3 overall.

2007: Second Round Win at the Australian Open

In 2007, Victoria Azarenka secured a win against Marion Bartoli in the second round of the Australian Open, marking one of the first six victories Azarenka had against Bartoli.

2008: Sharapova's Victory at the Australian Open

In 2008, Maria Sharapova had won the Australian Open. Victoria Azarenka would later face off against Sharapova at the 2012 Australian Open where Azarenka won the match.

2008: First Meeting with Serena Williams at the Australian Open

In 2008, Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams had their first encounter at the Australian Open, where the defending champion Williams secured a straight-sets victory. This marked the beginning of their rivalry.

2008: First Match Against Li Na

In 2008, Victoria Azarenka began her rivalry with Li Na. Throughout their careers, they played 11 times, with Azarenka leading the head-to-head 6-5.

2009: End of Coaching by António van Grichen

From 2005 to 2009, Victoria Azarenka was coached by António van Grichen. This partnership concluded in 2009.

2009: Victory at the Brisbane International Final

In 2009, Victoria Azarenka won the Brisbane International final against Marion Bartoli. This win marked Azarenka's first success in a WTA Tour final, after three previous final losses.

2010: Coached by Sam Sumyk

From 2010 to 2015, Victoria Azarenka was coached by Sam Sumyk, with whom she won her two Grand Slam titles and reached No. 1 in the world.

2010: Loss in Quarterfinals

In 2010, Azarenka had won the first set in the quarterfinals against Serena Williams and was leading in the second set before Williams won the three-set match and the title for the second consecutive year.

2010: Dominance Over Bartoli Continues

In 2010, Victoria Azarenka continued her dominance over Marion Bartoli, winning all four matches they played that year.

2010: Victory at the Bank of the West Classic

In 2010, Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova in the final of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, securing her first title of the year and fourth of her career.

2011: First Loss to Bartoli in Eastbourne

In 2011, Marion Bartoli secured her first win over Victoria Azarenka in Eastbourne after Azarenka retired due to injury. Later in 2011, at the WTA Tour Championships, Bartoli, as a reserve, upset Azarenka in a match that did not affect the semi-final qualifications.

2011: Miami Masters Title

In 2011, Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova in the Miami Masters final to win her second title at that tournament.

2011: Straight-Sets Victories

In 2011, Victoria Azarenka had straight-sets victories against Serena Williams at the Rogers Cup and the US Open. These wins came after Williams' ranking had fallen to world No. 175 following Wimbledon.

2012: Top Two Ranking

From January 2012 to January 2013, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova ranked as the top two women in the world, with a brief period in July and August when Agnieszka Radwańska was No. 2.

2012: Five Meetings with Serena Williams

In 2012, Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams played five times, with Williams winning each match. These included the Madrid Masters final, Wimbledon semifinals, Olympics semifinals, US Open final, and the year-end championships.

2012: Record Prize Money Haul

In 2012, Victoria Azarenka earned $7.9 million in prize money, setting a single-year record for a female athlete in any sport. This remains the sixth-highest single-year total earned in WTA history.

2012: Matches Against Bartoli

In 2012, Victoria Azarenka played Marion Bartoli three times, winning two of the matches. Bartoli's victory in the Miami quarterfinals snapped Azarenka's 26-match winning streak to start the season. Azarenka avenged the loss in the semi-finals of the China Open, on her way to winning the title.

2012: Peak of Rivalry with Maria Sharapova

In 2012, the rivalry between Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova intensified, with six meetings, four of which were in finals. Azarenka won four of those six matches, including three finals. The most famous was at the 2012 Australian Open, where Azarenka won her first Grand Slam and became world No. 1.

2013: Top Two Ranking Period Ends

From January 2012 to January 2013, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova ranked as the top two women in the world. This run as the top 2 ended in January 2013.

2013: End of Rivalry with Li Na

In 2013, Victoria Azarenka concluded her rivalry with Li Na. They played 11 times, with Azarenka leading the head-to-head 6-5.

2013: Victory at the Qatar Total Open

In 2013, Victoria Azarenka secured her second victory over Serena Williams in a WTA Tour match at the Qatar Total Open, winning in three sets in the championship match. However, Williams won their next match on clay at the 2013 Internazionali BNL d'Italia in straight sets.

2013: Named Fourth Highest Paid Female Athlete

In August 2013, Victoria Azarenka was named the fourth-highest-paid female athlete in the world by Forbes magazine, with total earnings of $15.7 million from 2012 to 2013. Her prize money constituted $6.7 million, whilst her endorsements equaled $9 million.

2013: Endorsement Deal with Red Bull

In January 2013, Victoria Azarenka entered into an endorsement deal with Red Bull, becoming the first tennis player sponsored by the beverage and sports investment giant.

2014: Citizen Watch Release

In 2014, Citizen Watch released an exclusive range of watches designed by Victoria Azarenka.

2014: Loss at Brisbane International

In 2014, Victoria Azarenka lost to Serena Williams in the championship match of the Brisbane International, marking Azarenka's first defeat at the tournament.

2014: End of Sam Sumyk Partnership

In 2014, Victoria Azarenka's partnership with coach Sam Sumyk ended after an injury-plagued season.

2015: End of Coaching by Sam Sumyk

From 2010 to 2015, Victoria Azarenka was coached by Sam Sumyk. This partnership concluded in 2015.

2015: End of Rivalry with Maria Sharapova

In 2015, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova concluded their rivalry. They played 15 times from 2007 to 2015, with Sharapova leading the head-to-head 8-7 overall.

2015: Madrid Open and French Open Losses

In 2015, Victoria Azarenka lost a third-round match against Serena Williams in three sets at the Madrid Open despite holding three match points. She also lost in the third round of the 2015 French Open despite leading by a set and a break. She lost the quarterfinal match at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships.

2016: End of Instaforex Endorsement

From 2013 to 2016, Victoria Azarenka was endorsed by the investment company Instaforex; this partnership concluded in 2016.

2016: Coached by Wim Fissette

From 2015 to 2016, Victoria Azarenka was coached by Wim Fissette, until she became pregnant.

2016: Victory at Indian Wells Open

In 2016, Victoria Azarenka earned her fourth win against Serena Williams in the final of the Indian Wells Open, becoming the first player to defeat Serena four times in a final.

2017: Coached by Michael Joyce

In 2017, upon her return from pregnancy, Victoria Azarenka was coached by Michael Joyce.

2017: Endorsement Deal with Yonex

In 2017, upon her return to tennis after pregnancy, Victoria Azarenka signed an endorsement deal with Yonex for racquets, using the EZONE 100 racquet.

2018: Return to Wilson Ultra 100

In 2018, Victoria Azarenka switched back to the Wilson Ultra 100 racquet, although she was not under contract with the company at the time.

2018: Reunited with Wim Fissette

In November 2018, Victoria Azarenka reunited with Wim Fissette as her coach.

2019: Loss at Indian Wells

In 2019, Victoria Azarenka lost to Serena Williams in the second round of Indian Wells in two tight sets.

2019: End of Wim Fissette Reunion

In December 2019, Wim Fissette became Naomi Osaka's coach, ending his reunion with Victoria Azarenka.

2020: US Open Semifinal Victory

In 2020, Victoria Azarenka secured her first victory against Serena Williams in a Grand Slam, winning in three sets in the US Open semifinal.

2020: Endorsement by Wilson

In 2020, after a successful season, Victoria Azarenka became endorsed by Wilson once again.

2020: Dorian Descloix as New Coach

In February 2020, Victoria Azarenka announced Dorian Descloix as her new coach.

2021: Split from Dorian Descloix

In October 2021, Victoria Azarenka split from Dorian Descloix, choosing to work with Maxime Tchoutakian instead.

2024: 2024 Australian Open

In 2024, Victoria Azarenka entered the Australian Open as the 18th seed, defeating Camila Giorgi, Clara Tauson, and Jeļena Ostapenko to reach the fourth round, where she lost to Dayana Yastremska.

2024: 2024 Miami Open Semifinal

In 2024, Victoria Azarenka reached the semi-final of the WTA 1000 Miami Open, defeating Qinwen Zheng and Katie Boulter. She lost to Elena Rybakina after a final set tiebreak.