Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka has put paid to growing speculation of her recent appearance in Tommy Paul’s coaching box at the Madrid Open.
Azarenka, a two-time Grand Slam champion, was captured on live cameras in two of the American’s matches at the ATP 1000 event. One of those was the late-night epic where Paul defeated Brazil’s NextGen Star Joao Fonseca in two tie-break sets.
And in Paul’s round of 16 match against Jack Draper, Azarenka would return to the same seat. The unexpected crossover garnered a lot of interest from curious tennis fans who half-jokingly suggested a romantic spark. Azarenka’s singles campaign in the tournament ended with a first-round defeat to Serbian lefty Olga Danilovic, but she was still active in doubles and had reached the quarterfinals stage with Ashlyn Krueger. That did not stop her from watching a couple of Paul’s matches from close quarters.
Ethan Quinn and Victoria Azarenka in Tommy Paul’s box pic.twitter.com/ywba01kMCh
— Mario Boccardi (@boccardi_marioo) April 26, 2025
Victoria Azarenka back in Tommy Paul’s box pic.twitter.com/BUIWKGegtM
— Mario Boccardi (@boccardi_marioo) April 30, 2025
Azarenka finally clarified her presence in Paul’s coaching box
However, it became evident after the match that the two players had something in common. Paul’s fitness coach, Franco Herrero, is also working with Azarenka. The WTA star’s professional relationship with Herrero commenced during the off-season, although Azarenka has occasionally trained with Paul in Boca Raton, Florida, where the Argentinian owns the FRWD Training.
In the latest vlog on Daria Kasatkina’s YouTube channel, What The Vlog, the Belarusian clarified her involvement as a spectator in Paul’s matches, ending any rumors of a potential relationship. The dialogue began with the two players discussing famous beverages.
“I like mate. I drank during the match of Tommy Paul, and I couldn’t sleep the whole night,” Azarenka said (13:38).
When pressed by Kasatkina to explain why she stayed up so late to follow the match, Azarenka replied, “They were playing and I had nothing else to do. He (Paul) is my friend. We train together, just to clear all the rumors since that moment (laughing).”
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
