Although she is a superstar in her own right, former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka revealed she could get starstruck and even burst into tears were she to meet soccer megastar Lionel Messi.
Azarenka kicks off her North American hardcourt swing this week at the DC Open, but stopped to attend a soccer match match between Inter Miami and Atlanta United last week, where she took a 'selfie' with the superstar.
Azarenka admits to being overwhelmed by Argentine superstar
During a press conference, the two-time Grand Slam champion was asked about the atmosphere during the soccer game, and if she was ready to meet the Inter Miami forward.
"The atmosphere with the Latin music was crazy," she said. "They were like, putting the fires and stuff. I love that. I wish we had the kind of similar sometimes atmosphere in tennis.
"I had a big privilege being very, very close to the pitch, so I could almost feel like I’m on the field. I was very lucky with that and very grateful. So it was really fun. I definitely want to go see more games.
“I don’t know if I’m ready to meet Messi yet. We’ll see. I might actually cry. Like, I’m not a fan- not that I’m not- I am a fan of a lot of people, but I don’t really get starstruck, but yeah, I don’t know. I might cry. I definitely will probably cry."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
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