Victoria Azarenka

Victoria Azarenka stormed onto the tennis scene with a distinctive blend of power-hitting and vocal intensity, announcing Belarus's arrival as a force in the sport. Turning professional in 2003, her ascent was methodical, built on a formidable baseline game anchored by one of the best two-handed backhands in history. Her breakthrough was seismic: back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2012 and 2013, where she dethroned the established order and ascended to the world No. 1 ranking. Azarenka's career, however, has been a narrative of overcoming formidable obstacles beyond the net—injuries, a highly publicized custody battle that sidelined her, and the challenge of returning to the elite as a mother. Her 2020 US Open run to the final, over a decade after her first major, proved her enduring class and resilience, cementing her status as one of her generation's most determined champions.