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QATAR TOTAL OPENFebruary 19, 2012Victoria AzarenkaDOHA, QATAR V. AZARENKA/S. Stosur THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. We were all expecting some drama with the ankle, but it didn't seem to bother you out there. VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I'm glad that I made that impression, and that's what I was actually looking for. You know, I think there were a few things in my favor today. As wind, I think the first time it actually was in my favor, because I don't think anybody likes to play with that, but it made a change, you know, to have shorter rallies, and that's what I was looking for today, just trying to be aggressive with my first two shots and not to give her advantage to, you know, start maneuvering. Q. How did you feel coming off with the ankle? Going into Dubai, do you think it's going to be something you have to think about? Do you think it was not as serious as you originally thought? Playing today, how did it feel? VICTORIA AZARENKA: It's not as bad as it could have been, so I'm really glad about that. You know, I have a couple of days to recover and see how I feel. Right now I just want to enjoy the moment and not to think too much ahead. Q. Talk about the match. Obviously you dominated. What can you say about the match? What do you feel you did really well against Stosur? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I think that one point at the beginning of the match really saved my butt a little bit. You know, I hit the net. But as I said, you know, I was really trying to be really aggressive and not to let her command it, because that's what she likes to do. She has a huge serve, and the first shot, that's what she puts the opponent on the run, and you run like so far behind the baseline. So I tried to take that away from her. Q. Third title of the year. You keep winning. As you keep winning, is the excitement just the same? Is it as exciting to win every time you do it? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Of course. I mean, every match I win I'm as happy as I can be. You know, definitely winning the finals, you're a little bit more excited than probably winning the first round, but every victory takes you to get the title, so every win I had is very important to me. Q. As he said, third title this year. Maybe talk about your year. It's early on, but you've already got the Australian Open, you're No. 1. Now a third title. They year is turning out to be, early on, pretty good. VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, yeah, it could not be better, actually. But, you know, there is a fourth one. Hopefully the fifth one. We'll see how it goes. The next one is what I'm looking forward to. Q. Before playing Sydney, did you expect that it was going to be better than usual? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Do you think that before going to a tournament I would think, oh, my God, in February I will have three titles and win? Q. I didn't say that. VICTORIA AZARENKA: No, no. Q. Did you feel a little bit better than usual? VICTORIA AZARENKA: You know, I guess I was just really prepared, you know. I gave myself a best chance to be at my best level fitness‑wise, tennis‑wise, mental‑wise during my offseason. So it kind of gave me a little bit of boost and confidence to go out there and just give it all every day. Q. Sam Stosur mentioned confidence. That's something that's hard to quantify, but you've got this winning streak going. I mean, do you go out on the court feeling ‑‑ with that confidence, does that make a big difference? It's not like you have a weapon that you didn't have three or four months ago. Do you think confidence is a big factor for you doing so well? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think confidence is very overrated. You know, it's something invisible, something you cannot explain, right? It's just every time you step on the court you try to find the way to beat your opponent. You know, one word, "confidence," or whatever it is, you know, is not going to help you. You have to go through the tough moment like pain, like ache, I don't know, like nerves, so you have to go through all that. You just have to accept that you're a normal human being and you're going to go through all that. Just one word, "confidence," I don't know, I think it's too overrated. Q. As you said earlier, last year you were watching the game on TV and you were sad because you were not here. So how do you feel... VICTORIA AZARENKA: I didn't watch the game. I saw the pictures of... Q. Pictures. So how does it feel to have your first trophy here in Doha? VICTORIA AZARENKA: It feels amazing. You know, I have been coming here for quite a few times but also for the Championships, and I never even reached the final, so for me it's extra special to win here. I really like this tournament a lot, and, I mean, I'm really happy to be raising the trophy in the end of the week. Q. One of the things that came out in Australia was‑‑ you know, I think you and Maria Sharapova both have ‑‑you're very vocal during the match with, I guess, whooping or whatever it is. Then there was some talk afterwards, I think, but someone said they're going to start training young kids not do that. Someone explained to me that's kind of how you guys ‑‑it's a breathing thing. Obviously it's a little bit of distraction, but if someone said, Okay, you can't do that anymore, is that something you could go on the court and adjust like that, or is this something that will be with us for your entire career? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, it will be with me for my entire career. But let me put it that way: Do you snore? Q. I do, actually. VICTORIA AZARENKA: Can you control that? Q. Well, there are ways, I guess. VICTORIA AZARENKA: There are ways? But you still snore, right? Q. Yeah. VICTORIA AZARENKA: So it's natural to you, right? So that's natural to me, too, the way I play tennis. That's it. Q. I mean, when people bring this up or people say... VICTORIA AZARENKA: Sorry, but it probably distracts your wife, if you have a wife, I don't know, right? Q. There you go. VICTORIA AZARENKA: There you go. Q. That's the point that people say is it's a distraction for other players. I mean, I don't play ‑‑I'm not out there against you. But do you think ‑‑you talk about confidence being overrated. This whole controversy over yelling and kind of vocals on the court, is this something that's way overrated and people need to move on to something else? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think they should, but if they have nothing better to do in their life, they should just keep going. It's up to them. I'm not the one who's going to stop it. I'm not looking for that. For me, I'm the way I am. I cannot speak for any other players. Not one player ever came up to me and said, Hey, stop doing that, whatever. I think there are other ways that people maybe distract me, too. But I just don't say it out loud. I just deal with it. If somebody wants to take a blame, Oh, I lost this match because she's grunting or whatever, you know, it's up to them. I think they're just weak people. Q. Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer will be flag bearers at the Olympics. Could you be for Belarus? Would you like it? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't know. I would be honored to, but I haven't even ever thought about it. And I'm sure we have a lot of other great athletes who are at the same position as me to carry that flag, but I will be very honored if I would be chosen. Q. And 10 out of 11 titles obtained on the hard courts. What do you want to do to improve on grass and clay now? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think I have actually pretty good results on clay I had and on grass court last year. We play most of the year on hard courts. There are only a few months that we play on clay and only less than a month that we play on grass courts, so there's not too many options, you know. But, yeah, definitely it's going to be one of the goals to improve, and, you know, be more dominant and hopefully to get more titles on other surfaces. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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