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MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAUMarch 25, 2015Victoria AzarenkaMIAMI, FLORIDA V. AZARENKA/S. Soler‑Espinosa THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How would you rate your performance today? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think it was a pretty good first set. You know, second set there was a little bit too many mistakes in the beginning. I felt like I lost my momentum, and she led the way a little bit. But I'm glad I could turn it around and play well when I needed to. But I just would like to see a little bit more consistency from my game. Q. What's it like being back here? You have won it twice but you haven't been here for two years. VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, it's been unfortunate the last couple of years for me, but I love this tournament. I think, you know, the field is very strong all the time for me. I'm just happy to play anywhere I can. (Smiling.) Obviously coming back to a place where I have a lot of great memories, it's always nice. So I'm just looking forward to build my momentum here again and try to play as many matches as possible, but really to improve my level. Q. I remember covering you in that big match against Serena where you really had your big breakthrough several years ago. Does it feel like a place that your career really took another step here? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Definitely it was my first big win here, and actually first win over Serena. It took me a while to get another one after that. (Smiling.) But definitely, you know. I was 19 years old, to win such a big title at such a young age, it meant a lot. That whole year was really my first big, consistent year on a high level. So I think I left a pretty good mark winning here. Q. Do you feel it from the fans? Because they have sort of seen you grow up at this tournament. Do you feel when you come here the fans remember you from those other previous matches? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Definitely. I remember when I came here and I won my first two matches how excited I was. It was like, Oh, my God, I made it to third round in Miami and I played Anastasia Myskina. For me, it felt like I won a Grand Slam. I was that happy. But obviously being here at 25, it feels a little bit different. Definitely I think you evolve. Every year I came here, now it feels so much different than when I was here at 19. Q. Playing with this weather a factor for you? How do you see your next match? VICTORIA AZARENKA: It's not easy, I think, playing with so much heat. Now I know why they call the basketball team Miami Heat. But it's the same for everybody. The matter here is how well you prepare and just really be focused and discipline with hydration and nutrition and recovery. I think playing a tournament for two weeks, the most important is recovery here. Q. How do you see your next match? VICTORIA AZARENKA: It's tough match. You know, being an unseeded player, I'm going to have really difficult, you know, first couple of rounds. I'm looking forward to that. I just need to, you know, keep working on my game and trying to do my best every match. But, yeah, Jelena had such a great week in the past, so she's playing with a lot of confidence. She's always a dangerous player, so I just need to focus on myself and try to play my best. Q. How tough are you finding the process of, like, going as an unseeded player, trying to work your way back up to obviously the top 10? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, most important for me is just one number: I'm trying to be at No. 1. I don't want to settle for anything else. It's going to be a long road. You know, I think the patience is the most probably frustrating thing. I know the level I play at. I just need to make sure I can do that every single match and build my match endurance, my match confidence back up there. But I'm just looking for where I am right now, and I just have to go through it one more time to get the rankings. But I feel that my level is getting better and better, and I think that will help me reach my goal. Q. You have come to the net again today. Is this something that is more natural for you? Is that something you feel comfortable doing against any opponent? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I think it's part of the game that has to be more and more explored for me. I feel like I have a little bit of an advantage there, and I haven't been using it as much. But it's great that I can build from there and learn more things and improve my game with an overall weapons. So I think that's a key that I have to also work on and try to stay aggressive that way. Q. What's been the hardest part of your game to come back from this injury? VICTORIA AZARENKA: It's just the match play. You know, really, you cannot assimilate anything on practice. You can practice for as long as possible, but really to have that moment where you play, where, you know, you sometimes get nervous, you know, it doesn't only depend on you. It also a little bit on your opponent. So all that is the more, the more match play. Q. During the time when you had those long layoffs, do you watch tennis? Do you avoid it? How difficult is it to sort of see the tour going on without you? How hard is that? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think it depends on the moment, really. You know, for me, last year it was just difficult to go through and watch tennis just because my personal state of my mind wasn't there and I didn't feel like watching. But I think, you know, the other times when I had injuries, not so long injuries, I loved to watch tennis. I love to watch guys and girls, just, you know, sport in general. So I cannot say that I will not be watching tennis. Q. You recently added someone new to your team: Sascha. What part of your game do you think he's going to add to? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think it's just overall game. He has the ability to really push me, and that's what I need. I need to be pushed. I need to take myself out of my comfortable zone to grow again, to improve, and I believe he can do that. Q. Are you going to dance again? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yes, I will. (Smiling.) FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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