Victoria Azarenka pens thoughtful letter to tennis community urging them to ‘accept, adapt’

Australian Open
Victoria Azarenka calm

Two-time Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka has taken to social media to address her colleagues and call on them to be sensitive and show respect while either in self-isolation or hard quarantine in Australia.

Murmurs of discontent are growing in the tennis community after 72 players were forced to go into quarantine in Melbourne on the back of a few positive coronavirus cases on their charter flights last week.

Some have taken to social media to complain about the food, small hotel rooms and their inability to train.

World No 1 Novak Djokovic even went as far as sending a request to authorities to ask for better conditions, but it was met with a “firm no”.

‘It’s a firm NO from me’ – Officials reject Novak Djokovic and co’s Australian Open quarantine requests

Azarenka, one of those who are in hard quarantine, has taken a different approach and asked her “colleagues for cooperation, understanding and empathy for the local community”.

Dear players, coaches, entourage and Australian community, I would like to take a moment and address some of my colleagues as well as the media around the world.

This has been a very difficult time for a lot of us that did not expect to end up in the situation we are in today, myself included. To be in a 14 day hard quarantine is very tough to accept in terms of all the work everyone has been putting in during their off-season – to be prepared for playing our first Grand Slam of the year. I understand all the frustration and feeling of unfairness that has been coming and it is overwhelming.

We have a global pandemic, nobody has a clear playbook of how to operate at full capacity and without a glitch, we all have seen it last year. Sometimes things happen and we need to accept, adapt and keep moving.

I would like to ask all my colleagues for cooperation, understanding and empathy for the local community that has been going through a lot of very demanding restrictions that they did not choose, but were forced to follow.

I would like to ask to be sensitive as well to the people who lost their jobs and loved ones during this horrible time for all of us around the world.

I would like to ask all of us to have respect for people who work tirelessly to try to make our lives easier.

I would like to ask the media to please have consciousness on the impact and influence you bring to this situation and the community.

I would like for the people in the community to know and understand that we have it as our top priority to ensure the health safety of all the people.

Lastly, I would like for us to please try to support each other as much as someone can or is willing to.

Things are always easier when you have a compassionate environment and work together.

Once again thank you everyone for their efforts as we continue to navigate through these next few days and weeks.

Thank you.
Vika

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Victoria Azarenka

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