By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday March 12, 2022

No matter the politics, compassion is king. Belarusian Victoria Azarenka made this point loud and clear on Saturday evening at the BNP Paribas Open, when she was asked if she had reached out to Ukrainian players to support them since Russia’s invasion has turned their lives upside down.



“I have [spoken to my Ukrainian peers],” she said. “I have right away when things happened.”

Some say that words are empty in this day and age, and only actions will suffice, but Azarenka disagrees. She says that compassion and empathy are what she’s offering during this difficult time.

“Whatever I say I know can be twisted in many, many different ways,” she said. “People will have their own agenda on how they want to spin it. But one thing that's missing in this world is compassion toward each other and empathy. That's something I feel I can offer to people. I hope that other people start to implement something like that because we're all human beings. That's the most important, is to take care of each other and help each other. That's what life is about.

“I know it's a wishful thinking maybe at certain times, in times like this,” she said. “But I think the core foundation of humanity shouldn't be lost in any conflict. I think the violence is never justified in any case. Never will be in my eyes. I hope the compassion, the empathy, is something that we can grow more to avoid situations and conflicts happening in the world.”