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CHINA OPENOctober 7, 2012Victoria AzarenkaBEIJING, CHINA V. AZARENKA/M. Sharapova THE MODERATOR: Questions in Chinese, please. Q. What do you think would be the single largest reason for you to win the match today? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think I started the match really well, and I felt like I was doing the right things, you know, to make sure that I don't let Maria play her game that she likes always to be in control and dominate. Of course it wasn't possible for me to do that every single point, but for the most part I was trying to, you know, keep up with her rhythm, and when I had the chance, just to try to step it up and, you know, be in control myself to take that opportunity to move forward. Q. First of all, congratulations for your title. Can you make a summary of your journey in China Open? You have already played five matches. Which one impressed you the most, today's match or the other matches? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, of course I think that the last match will be the most memorable because it's the final. It's something that you go and celebrate after. But, you know, the whole journey has been really exciting, you know, especially coming from not very good news the week before that. It's absolutely, you know, amazing what I have been able to achieve here. Every match I felt like I was playing a little bit in a different tournament. I mentioned it before. You know, the condition change so much, and I had such different styles of opponents, which is quite normal, as well, you know, to have six different matches. I felt like I was progressing from every match to match and really stepping up my level when I needed to and maintaining the average really high. THE MODERATOR: Questions in English. Q. You have achieved a lot this year. What would you like to achieve in the final few weeks of the season? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I have two more tournaments to play. It's going to be about ten more matches, maybe a little bit more. Actually, no, not more. So I'm looking forward to maximize that potential to, you know, play all of them. So it's just going to be last two pushes. I'm actually really happy that, you know, in the end of the year I am still able to have that determination as I had in the beginning of the year and have the desire to go out there and win and, you know, show my best tennis, you know, progress throughout the, you know, difficult times physically and mentally the end of the year. Q. After this win, we know that you have made two histories. One is that you are the one who can win two Premier mandatory titles in one season in recent years, and the other one is you are a totally new champion of China Open. So what do you think of this historic moment? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, it's incredible feeling, you know. I didn't know the statistic before yesterday. Somebody mentioned that at press conference, so it's definitely, you know, great achievement showing that I have been pretty consistent, you know, throughout the whole year. So I'm really happy about that. To win in China Open, it's been also a dream for me because I never have been able to do so well. So to overcome that, and, you know, win such a big title in the end of the year is just incredible. I'm really happy, you know, that I came and I conquered here. Q. So tonight after you won, you mentioned the fans, and there have been a lot of fans who have had the same posters at every match and have been watching you practice. Can you reflect on that interaction while you're been in Beijing? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, it's been so much motivation this week. I actually wore the T‑shirt they gave me yesterday, and I was hoping you guys were going to ask me some questions but you didn't. They have been so loyal and so great, you know, following everywhere and being so, you know, present every time. It's just incredible. I wish I could, you know, spend a little bit more time to get to know them. We gave, you know, that group who had the sign right from the beginning of the week. We gave them our box tickets so they could enjoy a little bit. So I thought it was kind of a thank you, you know, and nice thing to do for them.  You know, I did the best I could to interact. Q. I'm just wondering, obviously I'm sure you're aware there is a little bit of a scuffle going on between Turkey and Syria. Do you have any concerns at all for going over to Istanbul, or do you feel like they'll make sure it's safe? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I hope so. But actually, I don't really like to watch news because it's always depressing a little bit. So I like to be happy. I like to be in a good mood. That's why I watch sometimes more kids' channels because the kids are always happy. We'll see. I'm sure they're going to do a great job. I'm not really worried about that. Q. I'm just wondering, I know it's still the rest of the year, but have you started to give any thought about what it might feel like to go into a Grand Slam as a defending champion? VICTORIA AZARENKA: To be honest, not at all. Absolutely not at all. Of course we organize everything to be ready for the next year, but just to really making raw plans and everything but haven't thought about it. I normally live day by day, not too much in the future, so right now I'm present here and I'm going to enjoy this moment that, you know, happened today for me. Q. Going back to the match tonight, Maria was making a lot of errors and you really weren't. How do you keep your mental edge when she kind of started to turn things around in the first set and started to win some games? How do you make sure that you shut that door and not let her come back? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I just fight for every ball. I try to stay in the moment, and I know she's gonna, you know, try to come back and come up with the great shots. The mistakes are ‑‑I'm not really looking for it. I'm looking to provoke them. I'm looking to make them happen. She's not going to just stay there and miss. It's something maybe that I have done, you know, to make her miss those balls. So I was just trying to make sure to follow my game plan, and of course she's gonna come up with, you know, with a great game. So I was not too worried about that. It was just important to keep fighting and stay with her and when I had the opportunity to really go for it. Q. Maria made some comments, I guess it was last week, coming out in favor of the WTA ban on grunting. Where do you stand on that issue? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Guys, you're getting old with that. That's not even interesting, seriously. They coming up with, what is it, a Gruntometer or what? Until the rules kick in, I don't really have anything to comment, because it's not gonna really affect our generation. But probably in the future it could be a great tool, you know, for the fans, for everybody. I don't know how it's gonna work, but we'll see, I guess, when it happens. I'm not against it; I'm not for it. I just don't really have a comment right now. Q. After four wins against Maria, hard court this year, do you feel like upper hand to play her right now? VICTORIA AZARENKA: No, absolutely not. I feel like every match, as I said before, is going to be different. I think with more wins that I have, she's probably going to be even more motivated to beat me. It kind of makes my job probably tougher, but I'm always looking forward, you know, to play such a great champion as Maria, because in this stage of the tournament, you know, in these circumstances, she's the one also pushes me to be better, you know, to raise up my level, to play my best tennis. So, you know, I'm sure we're gonna have many more matches, and we'll see in the end of our careers how it's going to go. Q. You've mentioned that you're excited for vacation towards the end of the year. Do you have any plans? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Not yet. Not yet. I'm trying to figure it out yet, because there are so many things that I want to do that I'm not sure that I have enough time. But when I do, I'll keep my fans updated. I'm always, you know, on Facebook and Twitter and the other stuff. I keep them tuned. Q. Are you going to take an Instagram picture of the trophy for Facebook? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I'm sure. You see that cameraman right there? He has a lot of pictures. We're gonna put it all out. We want to share this moment with all of our fans and just, you know, to give as much information as possible. Q. Do you think whoever win Istanbul later this month between you and Serena will decide who is the better player this season? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I'll just leave it up to you guys. My job is to win matches and, well, I guess we'll see in the end of the year. Right now we still have tournaments to play. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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