	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPS

October 29, 2011

Victoria Azarenka

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

V. AZARENKA/V. Zvonareva
6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What was your assessment of the key to that match? It was a tough 6-2, 6-3, no?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I mean, the score again doesn't say much about the game, but it was a lot of close games. I just really glad I could keep the consistency and put a lot of pressure on Vera so she wouldn't make so many winners.
I really tried to hang in there, and that was important to be consistent and aggressive, you know, find that balance.

Q. So no after-effects from the late match last night?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yesterday, I don't want to really think about it. It was a terrible match, and if I would take it back I would. But I can't. I'm really just glad that I could manage to play good today and be back strong on the court being who I am, play with heart and passion.

Q. You've played Petra five times. You've lost to her the last three times including twice this year. What are you going to have to do differently this time to beat her?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Just have to be, you know, consistent and aggressive. Tomorrow is gonna be different day. I don't really want to look back into our last previous matches. I mean, both times she won a tournament she was in her best form.
Now she's playing good, as well as I am. It's gonna be really tough battle, for sure. I just have to be consistent and aggressive, the same that she's gonna try to do.

Q. Did you manage to see any of the first semifinal when you were warming up? Because she was either brilliant or she couldn't get a ball in the court. There wasn't a lot of in-between, really. Is that the way she normally plays?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I think so. I mean, she really goes for her shots. So sometimes she doesn't find the rhythm. It's difficult, you could see, you know, she lost some of the matches probably a little bit unexpected. But at the same time, she can be on and just hit winners.
I haven't seen anything. I was really actually sleeping a little bit in the physio room and relaxing, trying to prepare for my match. But my coach was watching the whole match, so I'll try to get advice from him.

Q. Is her left-handed serve the most difficult serve to play in women's tennis at the moment?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think it's definitely one of them. She's really taking advantage of it, and, you know, I have to try to be on top of her with that shot tomorrow.

Q. The No. 2 ranking will be up for grabs also tomorrow. How much of that is an extra motivation going in?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Good motivation, but I'm actually not really thinking about it too much. You know, if I win tomorrow, it's gonna come along. If I don't, it's not gonna come.
I don't want to think ahead and calculate. It's not my job to do it. There are people who do the rankings.

Q. You are yet to win a slam, and you seem to still searching for a little spark. Do you think winning this thing would give this spark to you for the next year, to win a slam?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Sorry? What did you say? I didn't understand the beginning.

Q. You are yet to win a slam at the moment.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah.

Q. And you seem to still searching for this little spark to inspire you to win a slam. Do you think winning this thing would inspire you like AmÃ©lie Mauresmo? 2005 she won the Championships and then went on to win the Australian Open, the Wimbledon.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't know if it's a spark, but it's definitely gonna be a good learning experience to really, you know, be on the big stages winning one of the biggest tournaments.
You know, I had played in some finals, you know, semifinal Grand Slam. I just take it as a learning experience, and next year it's gonna be next year. You know, I'm gonna have a good preparation before that, and we'll see how it goes.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297