Wimbledon Takeaway #11: Azarenka's emphatic return

A peculiarly scorching sun had its way with the Wimbledon grass over this fortnight. But the sun also sets. Here, our ongoing roundup of passing shots from SW19, a curated much-ado-about-everything – if a bit less manicured than the Wimble-lawns themselves.

See No. 12.

11

Wimbledon has never been the most kind of major events to Victoria Azarenka, as results go.

Indeed, she was bounced fairly handily by Simona Halep at SW19 this year, but her return to the courts and her fight to win a few rounds after a three-set opener against CiCi Bellis showed that the two-time major champion still has the desire to put together one sterling showing after another. Nothing about motherhood has altered her tenacious spirit.

During the tournament, Azarenka spoke of her desire to make the WTA Tour more “family friendly,” with amenities for those traveling with children. She enjoyed the aid of her mother and her boyfriend, Billy McKeague, in London–and not every player, certainly not those ranked in the 100s to 200s in lieu of the Top 10, has such luxury.

None other than Roger Federer heaped praise on Azarenka for her pursuit of greatness as a mother. Even so, hints of awkward sexism crept into Azarenka’s press conferences as it did some others, with reporters likening her situation to that of the fathers on the tour.

Azarenka was not without her match-related headaches at this event. Even one Kim Clijsters accused her of receiving illegal coaching from the player’s box during her matches, and The Backhand Artist Known as Azarenka shot back, if a bit awkwardly, that she engages in no such thing.

At the end of the day, come what may, she still has this to go home to:

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9.