Speaking during her US Open third-round press conference, Azarenka didn’t mince words when asked about the prevalence of this issue on the Hologic WTA Tour—or about the role the tour and player council can play in protecting vulnerable players:
Q: You just talked about coaches manipulating players, and there have been incredible stories of real severe manipulation and exploitation of young players that you may know about. Could you talk about that subject, sort of kick-start what the elements of that dynamic is?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: It's a very sensitive subject, because you won't hear those stories unless players come out and tell those stories. It happens right and left on the tour, which is unfortunate.
Our job is to be better at safeguarding. As [a member of the] player council, it's almost like No. 1 subject to us. Because we see those vulnerable young ladies that [are] getting taken advantage of in different situations. It's really sad and really makes me emotional…
I have a son [and] I don't see that [it] happens so much on the men's tour. And if I had a daughter, I would have a question [if] would she want to play tennis. That would be a very big concern in that way for me.
No. 26 seed Azarenka, a three-time US Open finalist (2012-13, 2020), will take on No. 22 seed Karolina Pliskova, the 2016 runner-up, in the fourth round.
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