Victoria Azarenka fulfills 'dream' by watching Lionel Messi in action at FIFA World Cup in Qatar

Former tennis player Victoria Azarenka finally saw her life-long dream of watching Lionel Messi play for Argentina come true at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The former World No. 1, who had earlier expressed her admiration for the Argentine forward, was present during Argentina's group stage match against Saudi Arabia at the Lusail Stadium on Tuesday.

Azarenka posted a picture on Twitter and expressed her satisfaction at watching Messi play live. The Belarusian, however, didn't return with a smile as Argentina lost 1-2 to Saudi Arabia.

"Been my life dream to see Messi play for 🇦🇷 #WorldCup2022," Victoria Azarenka tweeted.

Been my life dream to see Messi play for 🇦🇷 #WorldCup2022 https://t.co/xltYaztFAR

Victoria Azarenka's 2022 season: A review

Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka kicked off her 2022 season at the Australian Open, where she enjoyed a good start and reached the fourth round without dropping a set. Here she lost 6-2, 6-2 to Barbora Krejcikova and exit the tournament.

The Belarusian did not do any better in her next few campaigns, going out in the Round of 32 at the Dubai Tennis Championships, the Doha Open, and the Paribas Open. At the Miami Open, Azarenka retired midway through her Round of 32 match against 16-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova after falling behind 2-6, 0-3.

At the Italian Open, the 33-year-old lost 6-4, 6-1 to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the Round of 16. Seeded 15th at Roland Garros, the veteran lost 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) to Jill Teichmann in the third round. She then reached the quarterfinals of the Citi Open, where she lost 6-1, 6-3 to Xiyu Wang.

She then took part in the Cincinnati Masters, where she beat Kaia Kanepi in straight sets before going down to Emma Raducanu. At the year's final Major, the US Open, she beat the likes of Ashlyn Krueger, Marta Kostyuk and Petra Martic to reach the Round of 16, where she went down 5-7, 7-6(5), 2-6 to Karolina Pliskova.

Victoria Azarenka was last in action at the Guadalajara Open, the year's final Masters 1000 event, where she reached the semifinals thanks to her defeats of Elina Avanesyan, Paula Badosa, Madison Keys and Coco Gauff. Eventual champion Jessica Pegula, however, stopped her progress in the last four with a 7-6(3), 6-1 win.