The catharsis of Azarenka

Although a tornado comes in front of her that catches her and shakes her during a set in which her body has struggled to escape from the seizure,

smiles, cheers up, relativizes.

Not a trace of tension, or at least not more than necessary.

Serena Williams has beaten him for a little over half an hour and the semifinal seems to be headed for a single destination, until little by little, stitch by stitch, the Belarusian is transforming the dynamics of the duel and it is the American who cannot follow the rhythm, he chokes and takes advantage of a medical break due to an ankle pain to catch the breath he lacks.

• Being a tennis player and also a mother

• Gauff and the Boca Raton conspiracy

At that moment, the television production focuses in a timely manner on Victoria Azarenka, who has already evened the game and continues to rally as Muhammad Ali fluttered over the other fighter: pim-pam, pim-pam.

Cadence, sophisticated hits, accurate, apparently light but deep down devastating.

Technical

.

The Belarusian, with her legs crossed on the chair and with her eyes closed, meditates the seven or eight minutes that the interruption lasts, as if nothing happened there and instead of being in the Arthur Ashe, risking access to the final of a great seven years later, he was on top of a cliff and watching the sea, purifying himself.

And some of this has its history, which starts with a steep ascent when I was in my twenties - two Australian Open, 2012 and 2013, and the defense of number one for 51 weeks - and then goes into passages of shadows, descent and disappointments .

“I have thought about the withdrawal several times,” he said after coming back (1-6, 6-3 and 6-3) and landing in the women's final on Saturday (22.00, Eurosport);

"In January I didn't know if I would play again, but I finally decided to give it a last try."

She continued, one last bullet, and now catharsis.

This comes after two dark courses, with discreet results and dotted with injuries.

Without continuity - 17 wins and 12 losses in 2018, and 22-18 last year - everything began to change when he contacted, precisely, Serena's coach, Frenchman Patrick Mouratoglou.

The renowned coach designed an innovative preseason in November in Boca Raton, South Florida, and invited her.

So, Azarenka did a

.

On the recommendation of the Frenchman, he joined an unknown coach, Dorian Descloix, and the physical trainer Francis Bougy.

The theory of Neutrality

From there, its growth was exponential.

She only competed in Monterrey and Lexington, but her physical and mental evolution soared.

Until today.

"Losing a lot of games was the best thing that could happen to me," he said.

“When you become number one you can come to believe that you are invincible and the best, but it is not true.

Your ego begins to grow and there you can hurt yourself, "he continued.

"And instead of breaking down my ego, I tried to learn and realize things, that for being a tennis player you are not better than anyone and you are still human.

The best thing you can do is try to be the best version of yourself and improve.

And I'm not talking about improving as a player, but as a person.

I do it for myself, for my son ”, he continued.

The mother Azarenka quotes her son Leo, over whose custody she litigated for two long years with her ex-partner, in an unpleasant tug of war that ended up passing her personal and professional bill.

However, Mouratoglou's intervention and Boca Raton's swerve have returned a formidable player who plays with joy and without complexes.

Asked about her attitude and constant good will, even when Serena had given her the initial beating, Azarenka, who for some time has resorted to the psychoanalytic concept of Neutrality, expressed: “It is not positivism that makes me more serene on the track, but having a neutral mindset, thinking about what you're doing and persisting.

It is a difficult and constant work, but I feel that I have learned a lot ”.

“In the final I will have fun, but she [Naomi Osaka, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3] is also very powerful.

We are both looking for our third

.

It will be fun ”, the 27th in the world settled with a smile from ear to ear, who will leave New York among the fifteen best of the circuit and in the face to face with the Japanese she is at a disadvantage (1-2), although the only time who challenged each other on fast came out gracefully;

"I am very proud of myself for having taken up the challenge of losing, turning it around and being better."