MELBOURNE, Australia - Victoria Azarenka is just one win away from her first Grand Slam final and stands on the verge of becoming the new World No.1, but despite all this she has not lost sight of the bigger picture.
Twelve months ago, Azarenka contemplated taking a break from the game after a painful fourth round loss at the Australian Open to Li Na. And were it not for a post-tournament heart-to-heart with her grandmother, the 22-year-old might have been watching this year's tournament from the sofa rather than competing in it.
"My grandmother is incredible person," Azarenka said in the press conference after her quarterfinal win over Agnieszka Radwanska. "She worked all her life until she was 71. We had to make her sign a paper that she's going to give up her job... because she would get up at five in the morning and still go to work.
"It's just amazing to see how much people work, and we are here playing tennis and sometimes complaining about little things. I lost a tennis match. So what? I mean, life goes on and you keep going. It's just a tennis match. You have to look in a bigger picture."
The insight provided by her grandmother into life away from professional sport has given Azarenka a renewed sense of perspective. A perspective that has helped transform both her approach to tennis and results on the court; following her loss to Li in Melbourne, the Belarusian went on to enjoy her most successful season to date, winning three WTA titles and reaching a career-best No.3 in the rankings.
"Now I'm always happy on the court," she said last year. "I look forward to every challenge and try to be disciplined in what I'm working hard for. I'm just enjoying myself much more on the court."
Will a sunny disposition and renewed work ethic see Azarenka crowned Australian Open champion? Only time will tell. But if it does, grandmother Azarenka is sure to get a mention in Saturday's victory speech.
