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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 27, 2016

Victoria Azarenka

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

A. KERBER/V. Azarenka

6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How would you assess your performance today? It was a tough start. You came back into this match. Couldn't push it to a third set.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think I was a little bit too flat today. I obviously didn't start great. For me personally, it was a little bit 10% not enough of everything.

My footwork didn't have enough. My shots didn't have enough. I felt I did a little bit too many unforced errors in the key moments. I created a lot of opportunities, but then I was not enough on my opportunities. I didn't take them. I had plenty.

You know, that's not going to win matches in quarterfinals. You have to bring it, and I didn't.

Q. Do you think it was just a bad day at the office or do you think at some point stress came in the way?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Bad day at the office? Yeah. It wasn't great. But still I have to find the way to win. I did put myself in the situations to be able to turn the match around. I just didn't commit enough, and that's on me.

Q. What happened at 5-2, 40-Love for you? You were kind of in control.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I just answered that question.

Q. What do you feel she did differently compared to previous matches?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think she was aggressive. She served well. Especially in the key moments she served really well.

But for me it's tough to judge because I think we know each other so well. Today I really feel that was on me. I didn't do enough with what I had today.

Q. Did you feel it at all before the match, that you weren't firing on all cylinders?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I felt fine. I was thinking about it right now, if there is something I could have done different, if there is something I've done wrong. I went through my routine.

Mentally I didn't commit myself enough today. I didn't push myself into making a difference. I was too flat.

Q. Do you plan to play Fed Cup next weekend?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I didn't decide it yet.

Q. You worked a lot this winter. It was a great start of the season. Is this loss going to be easy to put away and go back to work, or do you think it's going to last a little bit, the disappointment?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I'll be disappointed. I should be disappointed. That's fair enough to be disappointed after a match like this.

But if it's going to carry on? No. It's going to be forgotten tomorrow. I have improved so much from last year. Taking this three weeks, you know, I have to keep working hard. There are things I still have to improve. It's very simple in my mind. But there is work has to be done.

I'm in the right direction. I just need to keep going that way and work harder, be as professional as I am. I don't feel that I've done anything wrong in my preparation. It's just today I didn't push myself enough.

Q. You've improved a lot, you said. What has Wim brought to you over the last months that have made you, again, get better and better, be a contender?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think overall it's teamwork. It's not just one person. It's everybody bringing what they have on their side. Wim is very positive and very precise with what we do. He's very honest. I like that. I like to be reminded or set straightforward what things need to be improved.

That aspect in our teamwork is great, communication.

Q. Do you think you will be able to shake this off as one bad day?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I just answered that.

Q. Going into the next part of the season overall coming out of Australia, how do you feel about you started?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I can't sit here and say, Oh, it's been great. After the loss, it's going to be tough.

So I'm going to be disappointed today. I'm going to be pissed off. I'm going to let myself have that. But overall it's not going to affect me in any way because I know the work that I put through, it's paying off.

I just need to do more. I need to keep going to be even more consistent. I've shown good signs. I've shown good quality, way more consistent, physically much better. I need to assess a little bit what I can improve and keep moving direction forward.

Q. You talked about improving aspects of your game. I'm sure you don't want to go into great detail. Can you suggest some areas where you think you can work?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Everything. Everything, you know. It's as simple as that. I want to be a better player overall. I want to be better physically. I want to play better. I want to be stronger. Every aspect of my game I have to work on.

I have to work on my serve. I have to work on my returns. I have to be able to come in even more. Everything needs to be sharper still. That's the motivation behind it. I need to get better.

Q. Do you think it's only a matter of time that everything is going to come together and, for instance, at the next Grand Slam you'll reach the final?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I'm not hoping for anything. I'm going to put the effort and put the work in. The result, we're going to see what happens.

Whatever I'm in control of doing, I'm going to do it.

Q. But your general feeling.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't know. I don't know my general feeling what's going to happen French Open. How do I know?

Q. At the moment. Of course you're disappointed, but in the way you played in the last days and everything, that's what I meant.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think I've been playing pretty well overall, as I said. Three weeks of good tennis, you know, solid effort. I'm not going to take that away from me.

But today was not the case. Actually, it is over already. Nothing I can do about it. All I can do is to move on.

Q. Angie is talking about how she has had to push herself to be more aggressive, especially in sort of high-octane situations. How tough is it not to go out there and say I want to do this, but to actually apply the aggressive, go-for-winners play?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, there's one thing of saying it and doing it. There's a difference. But I think she played well. She did go for her shots and I guess push herself through something that maybe she hasn't done before.

But from how I felt, I also let my opponent play a little bit. I think it was pretty clear. But she definitely deserve. She took her chances. She went for it. She got the win, so...

Q. You said you were going to give yourself today to kind of work through today. What does that typically look like for you? Is it under the covers? Is it replaying the match in your head? Going out to dinner and trying to forget it? What does it look like?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: You know what? When I am in that I'm just going to let whatever emotion comes to me. I'm just going to work through it. If it's sadness, if I need to cry, I may cry. I don't know. If I need to break something, hopefully I don't break anything. But I just might.

You know, whatever is natural, is going to come, I'm just going to let it happen today.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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