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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 17, 2013Victoria AzarenkaMELBOURNE, VICTORIA V. AZARENKA/E. Daniilidou THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How did that feel out there? How did you feel with your effort today? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I felt really good.  I enjoyed a lot the way I was focused. I was definitely something that I stepped it up from my first match, and I was in the zone trying to execute all of my shots. I was trying to make everything happen, and that's what I'm happy about. Q. When you've got a match like today in a major when you're pretty sure of going out to win, how do you motivate yourself for that? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Never underestimate anybody. Anybody on a given day can play outstanding match. You know, especially when they have nothing to lose. I was just trying to focus on one point at a time and not looking too much at the scoreboard or anything. Just really executing myself and stay in the moment. Q. Were you worried about the heat going into today's match? Did you feel any of it out there? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, it was pretty hot. That's why I was trying to play fast. The first match I got a little bit sunburned. You don't want to make that mistake again. I was prepared for it, you know. I think everybody knew few days before that that it's going to be really hot. Even at 11:00 a.m. you could really feel it. I wasn't sure if we were playing with closed roof or open roof. Right before the match I saw it was closed. I thought, Wow, good. It wouldn't be so hot. It wasn't a problem. Q. So you would have preferred the roof to be closed on a day like today? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Actually, I don't know. I was just curious if they're going to close it or not, because maybe at 11:30 it was up to 40. Q. Stosur had a difficult match yesterday and said afterwards she probably choked. VICTORIA AZARENKA: She said that? Q. Yes. As a fellow player, have you been in a situation like that? How does it feel when you know you should be doing something but you're doing something else? Is there sort of a pressure situation that you've felt that is any way comparable to what she's gone through here? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, for sure. For sure everybody felt that at some point in their career. It's sometimes that you thinkyou know exactly what you do, but your body just kind of resembles your actions. You know, sometimes it's just blurry. You don't see anything. I'm sure everybody experienced that. I have in the past. It's just a matter of how you deal with it. You have to find your own way how to kind of get through it. You know, she's been really honest about it. I'm sure it's not easy for her to play here. Q. Do you find is there a place in the world you find the pressure mounts when you're playing? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't think it's the place; sometimes it's the match; sometimes it's just occasion; sometimes it's just how you feel. It's not really particular to one point. We don't have a Grand Slam in Belarus, so I'm kind of lucky with that ‑ or not. Q. Do you find yourself trying to do what you did last year in the sense of like your time away from the court? This is the first time you're defending a Grand Slam title, and so are you trying to think back to 2012 and do what you did then? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't really remember what I did back then, you know, but I always have kind of the same routine of what I do. You know, I have been doing it last year; I have been doing it before that. That's what makes me feel comfortable, so I just try to, before the match, to put myself in the state of mind and in the position that I feel good when I go out there. I'm not thinking of what I need to do so I can win the match the same way I did last year. It would be a mistake. Q. You said a couple of days ago you don't look ahead, you know, don't look at the draw. Do you know who you're playing next or who it could be? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yes, I know. I had two interviews before. They told me. (Smiling.) Q. Since those interviews, has it come into your mind about what you might need to do in terms of playing those two players? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I actually haven't played either of them. I know Jamie Hamilton a little bit. I don't know the other girl. I'm sure my coach is going to go watch. I have a little bit of idea how Jamie plays, and we will see. You know, I can only talk about her, since I know her a little bit. Q. What are you going to do today to get out of the heat, out of the Melbourne heat? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I will stay inside. (Laughter.) Q.What about your serve? It seemed like you were down Love‑40 at I think 0‑4 and fought hard to win that game. Are you making sure this year that you're taking care of the serve? Is that something you really want, to get through each match without being broken? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yes, for sure, but I just try to win every game, you know. And of course when it's on my serve and even if it's on her serve, I just try to make every point, you know, the best as possible. If it's Love‑40 or whatever is the score, I'm going to fight for that point. Q. The favorites for this tournament, top seeds, have been doing well in the early stages, dominating their games. How competitive is it for those top seeds and for the best few in the women's draw? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I think it's really competitive. The score sometimes doesn't tell the whole story about the match, and to win, you know, matches like 0‑0, it requires a lot of discipline, a lot of focus. Sometimes it's harder than winning, you know, 2‑2 or something like that. So I think ‑‑I honestly can only speak for myself, but it seems like everybody is in great form, and it's going to be very interesting. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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