MUBADALA CITI DC OPEN

July 31, 2023

Victoria Azarenka

Press Conference

E. SVITOLINA/V. Azarenka

7-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Vika, pretty competitive match, a lot of back-and-forth. Can you give your thoughts on that.

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, obviously disappointing to not being able to kind of turn it around. I felt that I played quite the right way. Just execution wasn't quite there.

She played better in the key moments. I kept missing a little bit there and there, so it was disappointing for sure for result, but I felt that I played the right way. Hopefully I can build on for that.

After a break it's never easy to kind of, you know, get back right into it, but, you know, in the end of the day, it's moving on and keep going.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You mentioned you played the right way. What do you feel like was working well for you, or was the right game plan against her a little bit different game style since she's come back to the tour?

VICTORIA AZARENKA: No, I don't think it's different game style. I think I said it before. She plays really free right now. I mean, I may be wrong. Just my opinion. But it feels like there is nothing to lose.

Everything kind of just adds up. I think in important moments maybe sometimes it does help. I felt that I was aggressive, I was dictating the game. I kept missing a little bit, you know, a little bit wide sometimes. It kind of adds up with the frustration.

I kept coming in. I thought that was good. Just couple volleys there and there was off. But yeah, I think just overall definitely need to look at the game and build up for that. I definitely need some more repetition, I feel like.

We'll take some time to play some more points, some more repetition before the next tournament. I didn't feel like I had enough practices I would like, so I'll take my time to build up from here.

Q. I wanted to ask you whether you saw the sign on the scoreboard about what would or wouldn't happen after the match and just what you thought of them giving that message to the crowd.

VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't care. I mean, how long are we going to talk about that, really? Is that a big story? Is this interesting for people to keep writing the same thing over and over again?

I mean, it's just, to me, I don't care. We just move on. We play tennis match. As I said in Wimbledon, I accept, respect somebody's position. That's it. No more.

Q. I guess I thought maybe you would have liked that there was a message to explain it after what happened at Wimbledon where you weren't pleased by the treatment you got.

VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I think we are about how many, 18 months too late with making this? So, happy? I don't know (smiling).