On 31 July 1989, Azarenka was born in Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union to Alla and Fyodor Azarenka in a middle-class family. She has an elder brother Max.

Azarenka debuted on the ITF junior tour in November 2003 in Israel, winning one doubles title with countrywoman Olga Govortsova. At Wimbledon, Azarenka reached the semifinals of the girls’ competition, only to be defeated by eventual runner-up Ana Ivanovic, despite having two match points in the marathon third set. She continued to participate in ITF tournaments in 2004, and at the end of the season she had a rank of 508 on WTA singles tour.

Azarenka had a successful year in 2005, winning two junior Grand Slams: the Australian (she would eventually win the seniors’ competition in 2012 and 2013) and US championships. She ended the season as the junior world No. 1 and was named the 2005 World Champion by the ITF, becoming the first Belarusian to do so. In addition, she reached her first semifinal on the main tour in Guangzhou, China. She went from the qualifying draw of the tournament to the main draw, where she defeated Martina Suchá and Peng Shuai, before losing to the eventual champion Yan Zi.

In February 2006 in Memphis, Azarenka defeated her first top-20 player, Nicole Vaidišová, and defeated her second top-30 player in Jelena Janković at Miami that same year. On clay, Azarenka pushed 2004 French Open champion Anastasia Myskina to a third set in Rome, and took clay-court specialist Anabel Medina Garrigues to 9–7 in the third set in the first round at Roland Garros. At the 2006 Wimbledon Championships Azarenka lost in 1st round to 2005 Junior Wimbledon and 2006 Junior French Open Champion and Wildcard Agnieszka Radwańska. 2006 US Open, she had her first win over Myskina in the first round, and lost to Anna Chakvetadze in the third round, her best result in a Grand Slam event to that date. In her next tournament, Azarenka reached her second pro-level semifinal in Tashkent, losing to Sun Tiantian. She finished the year reaching the final of an ITF event in Pittsburgh, losing to Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak.

Azarenka won their first meeting in 2007, in the second round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Their first meeting in a WTA Tour final came at the 2010 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, which Azarenka won for her first (and fourth career) title that year. Azarenka also defeated Sharapova in the Miami Masters final in 2011 to win her second title at that tournament.

At the Andalucia Tennis Experience, she was the top seed but had to retire in her quarterfinal match against María José Martínez Sánchez, due to a left thigh injury. Seeded third at the Family Circle Cup, she had to retire from her first match while leading against qualifier Christina McHale. At the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, she was upset in the second round by qualifier Anna Lapushchenkova, who was ranked No. 138 at the time. At the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, as the ninth seed, Azarenka was defeated by Ana Ivanovic. As the tenth seed at the Madrid Open, Azarenka retired from her first round match against Peng Shuai with a groin injury. At the 2010 French Open, coming back from injury, Azarenka was defeated in the first round by unseeded Gisela Dulko. As she reached the quarterfinals in 2009, this loss caused Azarenka to drop to world No. 15. Azarenka was unseeded at the Aegon International. Still struggling with injuries, Azarenka fell to qualifier Ekaterina Makarova in the final.

Victoria Azarenka began her 2013 season at the Brisbane International in what was her first appearance at the tournament since winning the title in 2009. She was able to reach the semi-finals, however had to withdraw from her scheduled match against Serena Williams due to a toe infection.

Victoria Azarenka’s most notable rivalry is against Serena Williams. They have met 23 times, including eleven times in Grand Slams, with Serena Williams leading their head-to-head 18–5, 10–1 in Grand Slams, and 5–4 in finals. Their first meeting was at the 2008 Australian Open, with then-defending champion Williams winning in straight sets. Their next meeting would also be at the Australian Open, in the fourth round in 2009, and again Williams was victorious when the Belarusian was forced to retire due to illness, having won the first set but trailing 2–4 in the second. However, 2 1/2 months later, Azarenka would achieve her first victory in the rivalry, defeating the American in straight sets in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open. Williams later won a quarterfinal match between the pair at Wimbledon on her way to winning that championship.

To begin the summer hard-court season, Azarenka competed in the Bank of the West Classic as a wild card and eighth seed. Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova in the final, after defeating top seed Samantha Stosur in the semifinals, to win her first title since April 2009. The win propelled Azarenka to world No. 12. Despite being the favourite to win the Mercury Insurance Open, Azarenka withdrew to recover from a right shoulder injury. Seeded ninth at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women’s Open, Azarenka was stunned in the first round by world No. 62 Ana Ivanovic, despite serving for the match twice in the second set, and being within two points of victory on Ivanovic’s serve; it was Azarenka’s second defeat by Ivanovic in 2010. However, she won the doubles title, partnering with Maria Kirilenko, defeating Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs. 1 September 2010, daytime, at the US Open, during her second round against Gisela Dulko, Azarenka collapsed on the court. There were concerns that the cause of the fall was heat-related. Azarenka was taken to a local hospital for treatment and was diagnosed with a concussion after hitting her head whilst warming up before the match during a sprint exercise. Azarenka won only seven Grand Slam matches for the entire year, matching her 2007 tally.

Once again the pair met at the Australian Open, in the 2010 quarterfinals. Azarenka had won the first set and was leading in the second set before Williams came back to win the three-set match, once again on her way to winning the title for the second consecutive year. Her dominance continued with straight-sets victories at the Rogers Cup and the US Open in 2011, both times coming after Williams’ ranking had plummeted to world No. 175 following Wimbledon.

Azarenka dominated the early rivalry, winning the first six meetings between the pair, including in the second round of the 2007 Australian Open, the final of the 2009 Brisbane International and all four matches that eventuated in 2010. The win in Brisbane marked Azarenka’s first success in a WTA Tour final, having previously lost three finals. Bartoli got her first win over Azarenka in Eastbourne in 2011, winning after Azarenka retired with injury. At the 2011 WTA Tour Championships, Bartoli qualified as a reserve for Maria Sharapova and in the only match she played, she upset Azarenka in three sets. The match had no meaning because Bartoli could not qualify for the semi-finals as Sharapova had lost her two matches and Azarenka had already qualified for the semi-finals.

Their most notable meeting to date was in the final of the 2013 Australian Open. Both players entered the championship match with one Grand Slam title each (Azarenka who the 2012 Australian Open, whilst Li won the 2011 French Open), and in very good form, with Azarenka only dropping one set throughout her run and Li Na having not dropped a set and also having defeated two top four players (Agnieszka Radwańska and Maria Sharapova) en route. After Li Na won the first set, Azarenka stepped up her game as Li started to suffer multiple injuries, and eventually won in three sets to successfully defend her Australian Open title and become the first world No. 1 to win a Major since Serena Williams won Wimbledon in 2010.

Azarenka carried her good form into the clay court swing, which started the following week at the Italian Open, with victories over Venus Williams and reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. The win over Kenin was the tenth double bagel in Azarenka’s career, and her first on clay since 2011. After a third-round win due to Daria Kasatkina’s retirement, she was defeated by Garbiñe Muguruza in the quarterfinals. However, at a cold and grey Roland-Garros, Azarenka was defeated in straight sets by Anna Karolina Schmeidlova in the second round, having courted attention in the previous round for leaving the court mid-match after complaining to tournament staff about the playing conditions.

Their first meeting was in the final of the 2008 Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts tournament (which has since been renamed as the Brisbane International), which Li Na won in three sets after Azarenka had won the first. Azarenka’s first victory over Li was in the third round of the 2010 Rogers Cup. They met three times in 2011, two of which were at the Majors, with Li winning both times, before Azarenka won their third meeting at the 2011 WTA Tour Championships, en route to reaching the final.

At age 15, Azarenka moved full-time to Scottsdale, Arizona, United States, from Minsk, Belarus, to train and live. In this she was aided by National Hockey League goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and his wife, who is a friend of Azarenka’s mother. In 2012, she became registered in Monaco but in August 2013 she purchased a large ocean-overlooking house as her principal residence where she lives in Manhattan Beach, California. Azarenka is fluent in Belarusian, Russian, and English, and has some fluency in French and Ukrainian.

Her first tournament as world number one was the Qatar Total Open. She won her third title of the year in Doha, defeating Sam Stosur in the final. Azarenka planned to compete at the Dubai Tennis Championships. However, after a bye in the first round, she withdrew from the tournament due to an ankle injury. In March, she played in the BNP Paribas Open, where she was the top seed. In a re-run of the 2012 Australian Open decider, her opponent in the final was world No. 2 Maria Sharapova, and once again, Azarenka won in straight sets, thus extending her undefeated record in 2012 to 23–0. Azarenka´s streak ended in the quarters of the Sony Ericsson Open in a straight set loss against Marion Bartoli. Her record for consecutive wins was 26–0.

Later in the month, Azarenka took part in the 2012 Summer Olympics tennis event, held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London. She entered two events, playing in both the women’s singles, and the mixed doubles alongside ATP doubles world No. 1 Max Mirnyi. In singles, Azarenka won her first four matches, all in straight sets, before falling in the semifinals, losing for the third time of the season and the ninth time overall to eventual Gold Medallist Serena Williams. Azarenka rebounded by winning the bronze-medal match over Maria Kirilenko in straight sets, earning the first ever Olympic medal in tennis for Belarus. Azarenka got her first Gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics on 5 August 2012 with Max Mirnyi for Belarus, defeating Andy Murray and Laura Robson of Great Britain in a tiebreak..Azarenka reached the quarterfinals for the first time at the 2012 US Open, winning her first four matches in straight sets for the loss of only ten games. There, she faced defending champion Samantha Stosur and eliminated her from the tournament in a two-and-a-half hour three-set thriller which was decided by a final-set tiebreak.[47] Azarenka then faced former US Open champion and world No. 3 Maria Sharapova in the semifinal. Azarenka was able to come through the match after being a set down. In the final she faced former US Open champion and world No. 4 Serena Williams, losing for the eighth consecutive time despite serving for the match in the third set.[48] Following her loss, Azarenka was applauded by many in the tennis community for the honesty and gratitude she demonstrated during the trophy ceremony as well as her press-conference afterwards.

In mid-September, Azarenka played an exhibition match against Dominika Cibulková in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam,[49] winning the match in straight sets.[50] Azarenka then played at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo where, in the quarters, she retired from the tournament due to dizziness. She then played the China Open, advancing to the quarterfinals without dropping a set. There she defeated Romina Oprandi and then eased past Marion Bartoli en route to the finals. The finals was set for another top 2 seeded match as it was Azarenka facing world No. 2 Maria Sharapova for the fifth time of the year. Azarenka was able to win the match comfortably. The win gave Azarenka her second Premier Mandatory title of the year and fifth overall title of the year. Azarenka then played at the Generali Ladies Linz, where she advanced to the semifinals without dropping a set. In the semis she faced Irina-Camelia Begu, winning easily. In the finals she faced Germany’s Julia Görges and won the match in straight sets, tying Serena with six titles for the year. Azarenka’s final tournament of the year was the WTA Tour Championships where she was drawn in the red group along with world No. 3 Serena Williams, world No. 5 Angelique Kerber and world No. 8 Li Na. In match one she beat Kerber but was subsequently beaten by Serena Williams. In her final round robin match, she beat Li Na, ensuring her Year-End No. 1 ranking. As the runner-up of her group, Azarenka faced White Group winner Maria Sharapova in the semifinals. After, clinching the world number one spot in her previous match against Li, she seemed physically drained to compete well and lost to Sharapova in two sets. Azarenka set a new record for single-season prize money in 2012, earning $7.9 million. She also finished the season with a 69–10 win-loss record and six titles, losing five of those matches to Serena Williams, two to Maria Sharapova, one to Marion Bartoli, one to Dominika Cibulková and the remaining loss coming on a retirement to Tamira Paszek.

The rivalry reached its peak in 2012 with the pair meeting five times, with Serena Williams victorious on each occasion: the Madrid Masters final, the Wimbledon semifinals, the Olympics semifinals, the US Open final, described by many as the best match of the year on WTA, and in the round-robin stage of the year-end championships. They had been due to meet in the semifinals of the 2013 Brisbane International, before Azarenka was forced to withdraw due to a toe infection. At the Qatar Total Open, Azarenka scored just her second victory over Williams in a WTA Tour match, winning in the championship match in three sets. They next faced off on clay at 2013 Internazionali BNL d’Italia which Williams won in straight sets.

The pair met three times in 2012, with Azarenka winning two of the matches. Bartoli’s victory in the Miami quarterfinals was significant though, as it snapped Azarenka’s 26-match winning streak to start the season. Bartoli won in straight sets to record what was at the time her third victory over a reigning world No. 1. Their last meeting was in the semi-finals of the China Open with Azarenka avenging the Miami loss on her way to winning the title.

The rivalry between the two players started to intensify in 2012, with six meetings between the pair that year, four of them being in finals. Azarenka won four of the six meetings that year, three of them in finals. Their most famous meeting occurred early that year, in the final of the 2012 Australian Open. This match had historical proportions as Azarenka would become the first player from her country to either win a Grand Slam singles title or become world No. 1, or Sharapova would win her second title at the tournament, having won in 2008. Ultimately, Azarenka won the match, beating Sharapova in straight sets in one hour and twenty-two minutes and in doing so claimed the world No. 1 ranking for the first time. Azarenka would defeat Sharapova in two further finals, at Indian Wells, in Beijing however Sharapova would prevail in the final of the 2012 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Their two non-finals were split, Azarenka winning at the US Open and Sharapova winning at the year-end championships.

They met a further three times in 2012, with Azarenka winning each time. They met in the final of the Sydney International, where Azarenka won in three sets after breaking the defending champion Li at 4–3 in the decider. Azarenka was also victorious in their meetings at Madrid and the year-end championships.

In August 2013, Azarenka was named the fourth highest paid female athlete in the world by Forbes magazine, with total earnings of $15.7 million between 2012–2013. Her prize money constituted $6.7 million while her growing endorsements equaled $9 million. Azarenka’s $7.9 million prize money haul in 2012 was a single year record for a female athlete in any sport. With over $28.1 million in prize money, Azarenka is fourth on the list of WTA prize money leaders and the youngest in the top ten. Endorsement partners include Nike, Wilson, American Express, Six Star Pro Nutrition, InstaForex and Citizen Watch. Red Bull entered into a deal with Azarenka in January 2013, making her the first tennis player sponsor for the beverage and sports investment giant. Azarenka specifically uses the Wilson Ultra 100 racket.

The pair’s only meeting in 2013 did not come until the semifinals of the French Open, where Sharapova won in three sets. This marked the first time Sharapova had beaten Azarenka at a Grand Slam, and improved to 3–0 against her on clay. Sharapova won their next meeting in the third round of the 2015 BNP Paribas Open in straight sets.

Azarenka dated American musician Redfoo between late 2012 and early 2014. Azarenka has spoken openly about her experience of depression during her injury-induced absence from professional tennis in 2014.

Azarenka’s 2014 season was blighted by a foot injury which forced her to miss five months of the season and call an early end to her season in September. The injuries forced her to miss seven of her first 16 events of the season, including the 2014 French Open. Azarenka only managed to make it to one final all season, in her first tournament of the year in Brisbane, where she lost to Serena Williams in straight sets. In three other tournaments Azarenka managed to reach the quarterfinals, but failed to progress any further. She lost to Agnieszka Radwańska at the Australian Open and Montreal and to Ekaterina Makarova at the US Open. Elsewhere, she suffered losses in her opening matches at tournaments in Indian Wells, Eastbourne and Stanford. At Wimbledon she lost in her second round match to Bojana Jovanovski in three sets. Azarenka’s 2014 season ended in September due to injury. She ended the year ranked world No. 32, her lowest finish since 2006.

Azarenka’s third victory over Williams came in the final of the Western and Southern Open; again, a third set was required to decide the outcome, and on this occasion a final-set tiebreak proved to be the difference. However, in a rematch of the previous year’s final, Williams got her revenge, defeating Azarenka in the final of the US Open, which, like the previous year, also required a third set. Azarenka then lost to Williams again in the championship match of the Brisbane International early in 2014; this defeat marked Azarenka’s first at the tournament.

Azarenka announced her pregnancy through social media on 15 July and missed the rest of the 2016 season as a result. On 20 December 2016, Azarenka gave birth to a boy named Leo; she subsequently split from his father and a custody battle ensued.

Azarenka and former boyfriend Billy McKeague, have one son, Leo, born 19 December 2016. Immediately after 2017 Wimbledon they split and became involved in custody case for their son in Los Angeles, which began in August 2017. Azarenka then withdrew from remaining 2017 tournaments.

In August 2017, Azarenka’s custody battle for her eight-month old son resulted in her withdrawal from that year’s US Open. She also missed the 2017 Fed Cup final, in which her native Belarus lost 2–3 to the United States.

Azarenka has had several coaches through the years. António van Grichen from 2005–2009, Sam Sumyk from 2010–2015, Wim Fissette from 2015–2016, and Michael Joyce in 2017. In November 2018 Azarenka reunited with Wim Fissette until December 2019, when he became Naomi Osaka’s coach. In February 2020, Azarenka announced Dorian Descloix as her new coach.

In January 2018 a tabloid news website reported that Azarenka had won an early round of the U.S. custody proceedings where a Los Angeles County judge ruled that McKeague and Azarenka’s child custody case should not take place in Los Angeles County of their U.S. born son but in Belarus. In April 2018 Azarenka returned to the tour, competing in Europe in the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and later the French Open.

In December 2018, California Courts of Appeal ruled that Los Angeles County Superior Court has jurisdiction over their child custody case, overturning the initial Los Angeles County Superior Court Belarus jurisdiction decision.

Azarenka originally received a wild card for the Australian Open, but she withdrew from the tournament due to her ongoing custody battle. On 16 January 2018, it was announced that Azarenka had won her custody battle hearing, and was due to resume her career with the BNP Paribas Open. She lost to Sloane Stephens in the third round. At the Miami Open, she set up a rematch against Stephens after defeating Karolína Plíšková in the quarterfinal round in straight sets. She lost in three sets. With her run to the semifinals, Azarenka returned to the top 100 for the first time since returning to tour. At the Madrid Open, Azarenka lost in round two to Karolína Plíšková. At the Italian Open, she was defeated in the opening round by Naomi Osaka. At the French Open, Azarenka was defeated in the first round by Kateřina Siniaková.

For their 21st meeting, they faced off in the final of the 2016 Indian Wells Open. Victoria earned her fourth win, becoming the first player to defeat Serena four times in a final. This was followed by another meeting in the second round of Indian Wells in 2019, which Serena won in two very tight sets.

Her first match in 2020 was at the Monterrey Open, where she lost in the first round to Tamara Zidanšek in straight sets. She then withdrew from Indian Wells for undisclosed reasons, before the tournament was cancelled, and the WTA Tour was suspended, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, a resurgent Azarenka recorded her first victory against Williams in a Grand Slam, winning in three sets in the US Open semifinal.