Victoria Azarenka’s Hostile Encounter With Jelena Ostapenko Puts Their Past Admiration to Bed Once and for All

Victoria Azarenka and Jelena Ostapenko are two players who are always at odds. They have played each other five times on tour, and Azarenka has been the victor at every meet. The two don’t always get along, and their relationship has only worsened over the years. However, things were not always the same as the Latvian used to admire the Belarusian player.

Whenever the admiration began, it was not present anymore. Both players have been at odds, and it showed again after their recent clash, which was once again won by Azarenka. 

Jelena Ostapenko used to be a fan of Victoria Azarenka

Young tennis players are often inspired by senior players who have gone on to achieve many titles. Victoria Azarenka is a player who has inspired many to pick up a racket or improve their tennis playing skills. The saying, “Never meet your heroes,” is relevant to many situations, and it applied to Ostapenko and Azarenka as their relationship soured over the years. 

2016 tweet reply of Azarenka about Ostapenko
byu/johnreese421 intennis

A post on Reddit showed a tweet from 2016, which showed that Ostapenko did not have any hostility for Azarenka before they played for the first time in 2019. The post read, “Vika, did you know you’re Ostapenko’s favorite player?”. Azarenka, who had her heart touched by the post, replied, “I didn’t 🙂 that’s really nice”. But the feeling would not be maintained over the years.

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The hostility between the two players shines through in their recent clashes. Five of their three bouts took place this year, and two of them saw drama brewing. An immense fight and awkward moments for the fans to enjoy were in store.

Drama between Ostapenko and Azarenka

The Latvian and the Belarusian player first battled this year in the Brisbane International quarterfinal, where the match continued to three sets. In the last set, as she was close to losing, Ostapenko screamed, “You’re blind. You’re making so many mistakes. I don’t want you at my matches ever again. You’re ruining them.”

They then played each other in the Qatar Open, and Azarenka ended the bout quickly in two sets. However, after the match, Ostapenko decided to offer a racket tap instead of a handshake. The gesture did not settle well with Azarenka, who shook the Umpire’s hand and then went on to pack her stuff. While they were amicable in the past, they are not friends with each other anymore. 

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