THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 6, 2023

Victoria Azarenka

Press Conference

V. AZARENKA/N. Podoroska

6-3, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Vika, what were your takeaways after today's match?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: It was a good match today. I felt it was a lot more consistent. I felt like I started off well. There's a couple small momentum shifts in the first set, and then I felt that I really took control and I was progressing from the match.

So happy with the win. It was kind of tricky with the weather, not playing for two days, and wasn't sure -- I felt like I already started the tournament and kind of a big break. Wasn't sure how it was going to go. Pretty pleased in the end.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Historically what's your sort of comfort level with grass? Can you talk about your evolution in terms of, I imagine you didn't grow up playing on grass, nobody really does unless they live here, but sort of what's your development through it? How has it altered in your mind as your career has progressed?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I don't think that grass is my favorite surface, but also, I feel like there is not enough time for you to kind of adapt and really fall in love personally for me with grass.

I think that the challenge that I find throughout every year that everywhere we go, grass is very different. You have to play different. You can't really play the same way. You come here, the grass is completely different than any tournaments prior.

It almost feels like I'm not sure if the warm-up tournaments really help me to get into the rhythm, to be honest. But you still keep going and keep trying to see if you are going to get the grass rhythm.

But I feel like also the courts are changing from year to year. I do feel like this year the courts are a lot faster than previous years, a lot lower bounce, more skidding.

I really do feel like it's about adapting. Tennis overall is about adapting, but grass is really about from a day to day, it's a living surface that you really have to find some shots, as well, that you maybe don't use on a regular basis.

But yeah, it's a definitely a unique surface and it makes tennis very interesting throughout the year to have those differences.

Q. It's funny, unique, but also, it's Wimbledon. Was it the trophy you grew up dreaming about winning or not so much?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Definitely one of them. Definitely one of them.

I think that they are very unique, every Grand Slam is very unique. I don't know if winning Wimbledon is in my view more bigger than winning US Open or winning Australian Open. Honestly any Grand Slam is like that's the top. So having to have different ones obviously is a goal, to be able to achieve those on every tournament.

Wimbledon is always trying to be different from everybody else, like I think other events. But with Wimbledon particularly, I feel like you can see that they really want to distinguish themself from any other event.

Q. Do you think it has always been that way, since you have been on the tour? I'm not going to ask you what it was like in 1985. But since you have been on the tour, has your view always been like any Grand Slam, doesn't matter which one, they're all the same in terms of prestige or desire of wanting to win?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, for me, the prestige is a Grand Slam. It's really not one or the other. They're all very important tournaments.

I think for depends on also where are you from. It's like for French people it's French Open is the echelon, is the word? Is the word. For Americans it's the US Open. For Australians, it's...

For me, it's not a home slam, and it doesn't really make much of a difference to me.

Q. How do you feel like you're playing this year versus past years here? You mentioned that the court is slipperier.

VICTORIA AZARENKA: I honestly wish sometimes I would remember how I felt previous years, but I really am that type of player that tries to live in the present and maybe sometimes I focus too much on the future than focusing on the past.

So it's hard for me to kind of remember. I feel like tennis is evolving, tennis is changing. So I can't really compare, to be fair.

Q. Also apparently once you become a parent you lose your memory anyway?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Oh, yeah, that's definitely true. It becomes very selective (smiling).

Yeah, but honestly, I would love to kind of have maybe some of the memories how I felt before, and I should probably watch some of like, I have a bunch of videos, my phone, recorded and just kind of remember which state of mind I was, because I have no idea (smiling).

Q. I guess this is something of a WTA question, but also just a general question, you have someone like Mirra Andreeva who's 16 years old, finds herself in the third round, you had success when you were young. Do you take a player like that aside and see her in the locker room, someone who shows such promise and, you know, say, Hey, few things to be aware of? Because, you know, this is a hard environment to be in when you're 16 years old. It's a hard environment to be in when you're 22 years old or 32 years old.

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, it is hard for me too (smiling).

Q. I can imagine. Is there some of that that happens?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: I would say that I'm always available for any of those moments. I don't feel that kind of being too forward with that, because I feel like nobody really wants to listen to advice when somebody's giving rather than when you're asking and you really need one.

But I'm very open and it's one of my passions to help young women to navigate maybe through evolution and the steps on the tour. I can only share kind of from my experience. I never tell people what to do. I don't think that's the right way to approach. It's also not fair, because, you know, you don't want to be responsible for what people do.

But I'm very open to share my experience, and if anybody ever wants some advice, I'm always very open to that. But I'm not going to go up to somebody and say, Hey, give you a piece of advice.

But I'm very, I'd say, chatty when I play doubles with somebody. For example, with Beatriz, she asked me a few questions and I gave her some of my opinions, some of my advice, and it's honestly very cool to see how invested and how much she was like listening and appreciating some of my comments.

So yeah, anybody who I can help, I'd be very happy to do that.

Q. People are often asked, you know, What do you wish you had known? But what's the question you would have asked, looking back on it, and I guess also what you would have liked to have known when you were a teenager starting out?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: I have always been the person who asks questions. I came from, you know, I came from a place where you don't show your feelings. You don't really show your weaknesses and stuff.

I think that's an okay thing to do. That's actually very brave and very strong way to do.

But I would say that even to myself, like, keep asking questions. Keep learning. Never stop learning.

Sometimes I feel like it's very easy to lose the sight of why you started to play tennis. I would ask myself this question more if when I was younger: Why did I start to play tennis? Because you get so caught up in the results and expectations and everything. What kind of puts me also on the right track is remembering why I started to play tennis.

So to young girls, I would remind them to ask that question. It's not because somebody told you or somebody keeps telling you what do you need to do. Why did I start to play tennis? Did I love it? Did I have fun? That's a good thing to kind of bring yourself back into, not to focus, but to ground yourself.

Q. I assume that's why you started playing?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yes, I always had fun. I didn't think, okay, I'm going to become -- not that I didn't think I wanted to become the best player in the world, but it was I loved the game, I love to compete, I love to challenge myself.

I would imagine when I was like 10 years old playing against the wall that I'm playing in Wimbledon or I'm playing in US Open or Australian Open, and I'm beating Steffi Graf, which I have never had the chance to play against, or Monica Seles, you know.

So yeah, those were the moments. I just loved being there. I loved winning. I loved competing. I also had a lot of fun on the court.