The Baseline Awards: Comeback player of the year

The 2020 season has been like no other in tennis. This year’s Baseline Awards look at the standout performers and moments during an unusual season. (Photos: Getty Images)

Throughout the history of the game, players that have dominated, then experienced a lull in their results for whatever reason, have proven to the world time and time again that they should never be discounted: For example, take Steffi Graf at the 1999 French Open or Roger Federer at the Australian Open and Wimbledon only three years ago.

Or for an even more recent performance, you could look at what Victoria Azarenka just accomplished in the latter portion of the 2020 season.

Back in 2016, Azarenka—who had struggled with injuries for a couple of seasons—appeared poised to reclaim her spot at the top of the rankings with three tournament titles in four months, including the Indian Wells-Miami “Sunshine Double.” Shortly after that run, though, she announced she was pregnant and left the tour to become a mom. When she did return, a messy custody battle impacted her on-court performance. With a resolution finally coming in 2018, she started to show signs of regaining her form, evidenced by a run to the Miami Open semifinals and a runner-up finish at Wimbledon in mixed doubles.

She reached her first singles final in three seasons in Monterrey last year, plus made it to the championship round at the US Open in women’s doubles.

Azarenka only got in one match this year before the shutdown, then when play resumed, she dropped her opener in Kentucky. However, when she got to the New York bubble, the former world No. 1 made a surprise run to the final, then won the title in a walkover against Naomi Osaka.

Evidently comfortable with the conditions in New York, on and off the court, Azarenka’s strong play continued at the US Open. She topped three seeds in the first five rounds, then had one of her most impressive performances in the semifinals against the third seed Serena Williams. Azarenka rallied from a set down to pull off the upset and reach her first Slam final in seven years.

That set up another final against Osaka, and though Azarenka was able to win the first set, she was unable to maintain her grip on the match. Still, it was an impressive and satisfying stretch for the Belarussian, who returned to the world’s top 15 after New York.

With so few tournaments on the WTA calendar in the fall, Azarenka closed out her 2020 campaign with a run to the final in Ostrava. She was stopped by her young countrywoman Aryna Sabalenka, whom, over the past few years, had supplanted Azarenka as the top Belarussian.

If the end of 2020 is any indication, Azarenka has shown she’s ready to make a run at that title once again—and perhaps go even further.