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TEB BNP PARIBAS WTA CHAMPIONSHIPSOctober 25, 2012Victoria AzarenkaISTANBUL, TURKEY S. WILLIAMS/V. Azarenka THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How would you characterize the match? Some lost opportunities there. Up 3‑0 in the second, and she came back in and fought and got through in the end. VICTORIA AZARENKA: As you said, it's been a lot of up and downs. I had too many opportunities that I didn't use. She played really well. As usual she's on a roll and everything, but I feel like I didn't keep up the discipline I had, the right play I had. When I had the right play I was in control most of the times, but I just couldn't do it consistently today. Q. Was that just mostly execution or a little bit of nerves? The occasion? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Probably everything. I don't know, it was just difficult to kind of keep it up today. But I can still see the positive. You know, I have tomorrow another opportunity to play and to win and I'm still in the tournament. I'll be sad for a little bit, but I'll need to bounce back strong for tomorrow. Q. Obviously you struggled a lot with your second serve today. Is there something in this shot that you can identify that you think was going wrong or something you need to look at with your coach you think? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't know. I mean, if I would probably know the answer I wouldn't maybe double fault as much. But I don't know. It's just one of those days that just didn't really work out. I mean, it's a little bit sad to have so many opportunities. Even though I didn't serve as well, I broke her quite a lot today. You know, throughout the whole game there was a lot of chances; I just didn't take them. I didn't execute well enough. For me, the key word today was "discipline," which was missing. Q. Obviously you're disappointed, but you have to be somewhat confident coming out of that that you didn't play your best but you did have quite a few opportunities there. VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, yeah. You have to look at the positive. It's sometimes difficult to look at it right after the match, but as I said, tomorrow is another day. I'm still in the tournament. I have a chance to still win. So that's what I'm looking forward. I just want to take the best out of what I did today and transform in a better version tomorrow. Q. How difficult was it to kind of come down from yesterday's long, long match and recover for this one? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, not easy, but, I mean, everybody is pretty tired here. Everybody plays back to back. So I cannot say it's piece of cake to do that, but we are here and I'm honored to be here and being in those shoes and in that position. So I just need to reset my mind, my approach, tomorrow. Q. What is more important for you: finishing the tournament by being champion or finishing the year in the top place? VICTORIA AZARENKA: For me, it's important to win the tournament, and then it decides itself. So I'm here to play, to win matches, and that's what I'm going to be focused on. Q. She's clearly the player that gives you the most trouble and Maria the most trouble. When you go out there against her, thing aren't going well, does it feel inevitable that things are going to slip away from you? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Matt, you always put me in the position to find some controversy. I don't know why. Q. Not controversy. VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't know why you expect me... No, I don't think that. I think always as a new match. I try to take every approach and find the keys, you know. I felt like I done few things pretty good today which I can keep for future, and just adjust some things that didn't work out too well for me today. No, when I go out there I always try to win. Why would I think any other way? Q. What I'm saying is with you and Maria both when you guys play your best, it looks like you're right there with Serena, can beat Serena, but usually, at least over the last few years, she's coming out on top. What I want you to do is kind of identify the reason. VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, she's playing great tennis. I mean, she's letting her tennis speak for itself. For me ‑ I don't want to speak for Maria or anybody else ‑ but my biggest opponent is her right now. I'll do everything I can. I might still have a chance to play against her in this tournament, so we'll see. Q. Tomorrow is going to win stay, lose go home for both you and Li Na. What are your thoughts about the match? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Exactly what you said. Win or go home. I'll give everything I have to win because I still want to stay couple more days here and fight. Tomorrow is gonna be really, really important match, you know, so I have to give my 20% and try to win the match. Q. So compare with the match you beat her last year at the same stadium, do you see any difference in her game compared to last year? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, doesn't matter really the difference between her game. It's going to be a different occasion anyway. Even though we played in exact same stadium, it's going to be different situation. I think she worked really hard with a new coach, change couple of things trying to be really aggressive, so we always have tough battles. I know she can produce some excellent tennis, so I have to really come up with my best game tomorrow and try to make it. Q. Obviously the round robin tournament format here is really unique on the whole calendar. Now that you're in this win‑or‑go‑home situation, it's almost like it's a quarterfinal for the tournament almost, and if you win that match you get to the semis, win that match you get to the final. Does that make the rest of the tournament simpler for you mentally? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't think so, because maybe I wouldn't play Serena in the second round and Kerber in the first round. But, no. Actually I experienced such a thing this year already at the Olympic Games when I had to come back after losing semifinal and play for the bronze medal. So I think it's a good opportunity to kind of feel it again. I'm just glad I have another opportunity to stay in the tournament and keep the dream alive. Q. Unlike the Olympics, you could get to play the same opponent in the final here the way it works. Is there any one thing you can identify that you know already you want to do differently the next time you play Serena either here or whenever it is? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't want to think too far ahead. There is absolutely no point to do that. Tomorrow is, you know, kind of what's going to decide for me.  If I win, I keep going. I'm going to take it day by day. Right now I just want to kind of realize what I've done wrong today and how I can improve it tomorrow and just go out there tomorrow and leave everything out there. Q. Chancing gears a little bit, once again, another great crowd out there. The WTA is looking to find a new host for the Championships. For you personally, would you rather see it in a city like a Madrid or Los Angeles or something like that, a big city, urban area, but maybe the crowds are a little bit smaller, maybe a little bit less enthusiastic, or something kind of like this? Obviously Istanbul has a lot to offer, but you get this sort of energetic crowd. VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think it's important to also kind of maybe have some places where tennis is not as developed but as excited as, for example, here in Turkey. I think it was a great step to kind of open the new doors for our sport to be seen. I don't know honestly. I have no idea who is betting on it. I think can be really exciting to see new cities or come back to those beautiful ones where we have been many times. I do appreciate the crowd here. It's really amazing atmosphere to go out there. Q. You were talking about the crowd, but what do you think about the music on the changeovers here? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Music? Q. Yeah. VICTORIA AZARENKA: It's very different. Sometimes rap, sometimes R&B, sometimes, I don't know, rock, and then it goes to Turkish music. The DJ is doing a great job. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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