Henin describes Azarenka as an 'inspiration' for opening up about anxiety: "It’s OK to accept that we have some fears"

Justine Henin described Victoria Azarenka as an inspiration after she opened up about feeling anxious on the court as opposed to joy which people feel like players should feel.

All tennis players love playing tennis, it's true but a lot of them also feel anxiety related to the fact that it's their job and there is a lot of pressure to perform well. Azarenka opened up about feeling anxious on the court in her most recent interview that came after she defeated Jessica Pegula in the quarter-final.

It's not by chance, because this Australian Open is exactly ten years after she won it the controversial 2013 one. Henin praised Azarenka for speaking up calling it inspiring:

"I loved that part, because it’s OK to accept that we have some fears. We have to not fight with it, as she said, but to accept it and to prove to herself that she can get over it, that she can find solutions, and that’s what we could see in this tournament."

She added:

"Even if I have to be honest, I really thought Pegula was the biggest favourite today. I was impressed by the way Victoria - also against Madison Keys [in the third round] - could deal with her emotions even if she wasn’t feeling so well on the court, and we can see the work that she did in that part."