"Tennis needs to change" - Victoria Azarenka lists several flaws in the sport, says she hopes tennis will 'step off the conservative bubble'

Victoria Azarenka is among the most experienced athletes currently active on the tennis circuit, and she wants for a change to be brought about in the sport.

With the WTA celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Azarenka, who is through to the Round of 32 at the Dubai Tennis Championships, was asked about her future vision for the sport in the post-match press conference. The 33-year-old had an insightful response to the question, stating that the WTA needs to have younger people of authority to bring about growth in the sport and be in tune with the needs of the newer generation.

“I want to see a lot of things grow,” Victoria Azarenka said. “Unfortunately, we are dealing with so many moving parts that changes are hard. We also have so many people who are - with no disrespect - but older generation that may be harder to see the future. I do feel that.”

She further stated that the sport isn’t time-friendly, before suggesting that scheduling on the tour needs to be improved. It is worth noting that the WTA came under fire in 2022, as fans and tennis players alike voiced their dissatisfaction with the scheduling.

“I do feel that tennis needs to change, it needs to grow, it needs to become more quicker in terms of timing. It needs to change the schedule,” Victoria Azarenka noted.

The two-time Grand Slam champion also made it known that she wasn’t a fan of the almost 11-month long active season. The length of the tennis season has frequently been criticized, with many considering it to be the culprit for injuries among players.

“I don't believe that this long of a season is exciting for fans. It's hard to follow,” Azarenka said.

The Belarusian also stated that if the sport were to welcome new ideas and let go of its conservative approach, there would be a lot of scope for the future.

“I do feel there's a lot of potential. We just need to have people who are willing to take a little bit of a risk and step off the conservative bubble that tennis is about,” she said.

---

"It's been undervalued" – Victoria Azarenka hopes for change in WTA’s marketing strategy

Victoria Azarenka defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships

Victoria Azarenka is off to a great start in the 2023 season, with the highlight so far being her semifinal run at the Australian Open. Her results thus far have placed her fifth in the WTA Race to the Finals.

Regardless of her participation, however, Azarenka is hoping for a better WTA Finals event this time around. There was a bit of a marketing disaster in 2022, with the event seeing an underwhelming turn-up from fans.

“Last couple years with such a short announcement, absolutely no time for marketing - my opinion - it's been undervalued,” Azarenka said. “I think that part is also very, very important for us, that we have a great crowd.”

In 2022, the WTA Finals had to be moved to Fort Worth, Texas on short notice due to the cancelation of tournaments in China.