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BNP PARIBAS OPENMarch 14, 2013Victoria AzarenkaINDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: Victoria has had to withdraw from the tournament due to a right ankle injury. Q. At what point did you know you could not play today? VICTORIA AZARENKA: On my warmup today. I tested it out as much as possible. I tried absolutely everything I could to do, but I have been advised by the doctor, by my own team, that it's just a very, very high risk already. I mean, it's already really painful, but it's very high risk to make it much worse. Q. Are you able to just to tell us exactly what they're saying what it is at the moment, or is it pretty complex? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, in medical term, it's a right‑foot injury, and there is a big inflammation in both ‑‑and tendinitis. Around tendinitis, there is a big inflammation which keeps bothering one part or another, I mean, it cannot get better with me playing on it, especially playing last three matches on it. It's just worse. I tried not to practice yesterday, and to see if it will settle down at least a little bit. I felt yesterday was better, not walking in my tennis shoes. But today, once I started doing the exercise, that was it. Q. Is it a constant ache or throb or what sort of pain is it? Is it when you put your shoes on or when does it really get worse? VICTORIA AZARENKA: It gets worse ‑‑everything. To push off, to step on it, walking necessarily is okay, especially in the soft shoe. But really the action of moving it and putting pressure on it, that's where it hurts. I heard a few players have these problems here, had this problem. And, I mean, I came with the problem before the tournament. So it just didn't progress in the better way throughout the whole tournament. Q. When did you first feel it? VICTORIA AZARENKA: When? Q. Yeah, when did the first feeling... VICTORIA AZARENKA: This particular pain was before the tournament, like a week before. I don't know the date, but the week before I even came to NewYork to play exhibition. Q. How frustrated are you by it, Victoria? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Very disappointed. Extremely disappointed, because I feel I'm playing really well right now. I was so excited to be playing here. I love this tournament. You know, to be in the quarterfinals is nothing that can be less frustrating playing. But I have to think a little bit in the long term. I'm going to be back here next year to play, and I'll be as excited again. But I am very disappointed. Q. By the very nature of the tour, a large percentage of tournaments now are played on hard courts. Rafael Nadal has said many times that long term we are going to suffer the consequences of playing so much hard court tennis. I know it's a long and involved discussion at the moment, but do you tend to agree with that, that we perhaps need to look at the percentage balance of the tournaments played on hard and those played on grass? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think it's a great option to look at it. I don't know if the percentage ratio of playing on clay or grass, but maybe there could be some adjustments to some hard courts. I think everywhere you go the hardcourts are different. There is like Rebound Ace what we have in Australia, which is a little bit different than what we have here and a little bit different than in Miami. I also think that the game becomes so much more physical that obviously playing so many matches on hardcourt, and with a schedule it makes it tougher then. So I'm sure over next few months, next year, there will be some maybe adjustments, maybe just some suggestions to see that. But me, as a player, I'm open up to see what we can do. Q. Is it too early to determine how much time you need off at the moment? I'm assuming you you're still planning on playing Miami. VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I am planning on that. We'll see how it goes. I mean, it's really difficult to predict how it's going to go. The doctor said it might heal quick ‑‑the pain might go down quickly because of the inflammation going down, but the healing process is a little bit unknown. So that's frustrating for me as a player, not knowing. You know, sometimes you think, Okay, well, I rest three days and I'm going to be fine with it. But when you don't know the healing process it's a little bit frustrating. But we'll see how it goes. Take it day by day. I'm going to give my 200% to do everything I can for treatment and just be focused on that. That's going to be my priority to get ready. Q. As far as treatment is concerned, is it a matter of just raising it, you know, resting it? Are you having to tape it? Is it ice? Splint? What do you need done? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Rest, I heard that word yesterday already from after my MRI, and that was the first option. Then of course you do the mobility, the ice, all these things that can help to heal, to get the inflammation. But the key word was "rest." I heard it yesterday. I didn't want to hear it, but that's the fact. Q. Where are you going now? Are you going to stay here or go somewhere else? Miami? Where are you going to try to heal your ankle? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I'm going to LA, back, and, you know, I have my physio with me. We are going to see a doctor to just make sure. I'm going to go to Miami probably on Sunday, so we'll see. Q. Was yesterday's MRI the first you had on the ankle since the pain first emerged? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yes. Q. That revealed the main problem? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, it did. I was hoping it was going to be better, but that's what it is. Q. On the bright side, your voice is less husky. That's improving. VICTORIA AZARENKA: (Smiling) Well, I can say something positive today, right? No, but, yeah, there has been a lot of things going on this week, but I'm still looking forward to my next week to see how I can recover from that and take it from there. This thing just can make you stronger. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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