Tennis is not just the sport of a lifetime, it’s also the sport of swank watch commercials. So if you’ve tired of watching Roger Federer, dressed in a suit that costs more than your car, gazing at giant, museum-grade pictures of himself in an ad for Rolex, you can now see Victoria Azarenka in heavy rotation for her watch sponsor, Citizen.
In that ad, as Azarenka she prepares to walk out onto a stadium court, she tells the viewer, “At this moment all my past accomplishments mean nothing. Better starts now.”
Those are ironic words, given the extent to which Azarenka has been spinning her wheels since she last won a Grand Slam title and held the No. 1 ranking (both in February 2013). Once seen as the successor to Serena Williams, Azarenka has become the leading enigma of women’s tennis.
Now 26, Azarenka remains stuck at two Grand Slam titles, the pair of Australian Opens she won in 2012 in ’13. She assumed the top ranking after the first of those triumphs and held it until just after her successful defense. It was part of a 15-match win streak that lasted up to the quarterfinals of Indian Wells, a run that included a poised, impressive three-set win in the Doha final over Serena Williams.
An ankle injury forced Azarenka to issue a walkover to Caroline Wozniacki at Indian Wells, introducing a major theme of her career: Surprising fragility for such a sturdily built woman.
With Azarenka out of the tournament, Sharapova snatched away the top ranking. Azarenka hasn’t held it since.