Victoria Azarenka

Ranked No. 1 in the world earlier this year, Azarenka earned her first career Grand Slam title at the 2012 Australian Open by crushing Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 in the final. Her impressive run included a win over Caroline Wozniacki, who was No. 1 at the time, in the quarterfinals and a victory over defending champion Kim Clijsters in the semifinals. Azarenka cracked the top 10 for the first time in 2009 by winning 24 of her first 26 matches, including her first three WTA titles. She reached the quarterfinals at the French Open and Wimbledon that year, and reached her first Australian Open quarterfinals in 2010 when she won two more titles. Last year represented her best as she finished 2011 with three titles and the No. 3 ranking. Azarenka won her first 26 matches this year before falling to Marion Bartoli in the Sony Ericsson Open quarterfinals. This marks Azarenka’s second Olympic appearance after she lost to Venus Williams in the third round in 2008. She also teamed with Tatiana Poutchek in doubles, losing to Liezel Huber and Lindsay Davenport in the second round. In London, she will pair with Max Mirnyi in the inaugural mixed doubles. Said Azarenka about the Olympics: “It’s one of my main priorities. It’s going to be my second one. In my first one, I was so happy to be in the Olympics that I wasn’t really focused on my game. This one I will try and take more seriously and more professional, so hopefully I can try to compete for a medal.”