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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPENAugust 13, 2013Victoria AzarenkaCINCINNATI, OHIO V. AZARENKA/V. King THE MODERATOR: Questions for Vika. Q. Vika, throughout your career, including juniors, who's the one player that you enjoy playing against the most and why? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Oh, that's a tough one. I think there are so many players that I've played already, but one of my toughest competitions has always been Serena. I feel like our matches make me grow, so I would take that. Q. Growth in terms of... VICTORIA AZARENKA: Growth in terms of being a tennis player, pushing my limits, and assessing what you have to do to be at the top of the game. So I think you always take a lot more learning from losses, and I lost quite a few to her. But, yeah, I think she always makes me grow. Q. Your match today, 6‑1 first set, and then she really came on in the second set there. What was the difference between the two sets, and how were you ultimately able to solve her, prevail, whatever? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think the second set, the beginning of the second set wasn't very good for me. There were quite a few unforced errors and just really fast mistakes which didn't happen in the first set. So it went kind of quick, but I was glad that that could turn around and come back strong. Then there was competitiveness. She was already in the game playing at a much higher level and really going for her shots. So I had to stay with her and take my opportunities, and I did. There was just a little bit few inconsistencies, but first matches can be tricky. I just want to think what I need to improve for my next match. That's what's important for me. Q. Vika, you have had some injuries since June. How did you feel out there today? What was it like kind of dealing with those different problems from Wimbledon on? VICTORIA AZARENKA: My injuries from Wimbledon are gone, so I felt good. That's really a wrap‑up for that. Q. Victoria, I know at the end of that tiebreaker she had set point. Were you still confident that you could still stay in that set? You showed a lot of confidence out there today. VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I always believe that until it's done, you always have a chance. So it doesn't matter what the score is as long as you're trying to do your best, trying to win that point. That's what's important. If result is different in the end, you know you've gave your best. So I always try to stay in the moment and fight for every ball no matter what it is. She had a chance. I had a few chances before that. So this is a competitive battle that you just have to fight, and that's what I was doing there. Q. A lot of the guys have said that these are some of the quickest hard courts out there. How do you like the speed of these courts with respect to your game? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think I can agree with that. It's not only fast, it's just the bounces are high, and I think the weather has a little bit of an impact on the balls. So I would say it's tricky, probably the trickiest hard court. I wouldn't call them the fastest, but it's the same for everybody. It just depends on your adaptation and what you're going to do. You can be stubborn and just play the same way you play in the other tournaments, or you can just try to adjust and take into consideration what kind of courts there are, the balls there are, the weather, whatever. Just the matter of staying there and trying your best. Q. Do you feel it suits your game pretty well here, these conditions and courts? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I don't ever really look for that. If it suits, doesn't suit, I'm just trying to win matches. If it doesn't suit me, I'll still try to make it and I'll still try to win matches. Q. During your generation, there really have not been, I believe, any more classic serve and volleyers. Do you have any theories on why that is, why that tactic, that style, has kind of disappeared both from men's and women's tennis? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I think you need to take into consideration the evolution of the game, how fast the courts become, how fast the technology. It's simple. The racquets, the balls, the way that people move, how many more‑‑ even when I just came on the tour I don't believe that the speed was the same, the game was the same. Everybody wasn't working out as much, I would think. Nobody was‑‑ not nobody, but I think there was less impact on the physical aspect before as there is now, plus technology moving forward. You don't have sometimes time to get to the net. It comes too quick. Q. Were there any coaches ever who tried to get you to be more of a serve and volleyer or that kind of just didn't exist anymore? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't think so. As a kid, that's not something that you really try to do. I think you just kind of learn the basic game, the forehand, the backhand. That's the first thing you learn. The first thing when you're a kid you don't learn to volley. So that could also change. And knowing where I'm from, we didn't have many serve and volleyers. So you can take that into consideration too. Q. Victoria, kind of an offbeat question, but you're going to be featured on a postage stamp here. Can you just talk about that. Did you have any input on that? Does that mean anything? Do you even know about it? VICTORIA AZARENKA: No, but that's fun. That's really fun. Q. You and Max are going to have your own stamps in Belarus. VICTORIA AZARENKA: Oh, in Belarus. I thought you were saying here. Oh, yeah, I knew that. Q. Could you talk about that a little bit. Did you have any input into that? Was that special to you? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well they told my mom that and she asked if I wanted to do that. And I said, Sure, why not. They said, What picture do you want? I said, I don't know. Just choose one that I look good because, obviously, when you play, the faces you make, it's tough. So they chose the one that I'm just before serving, so that's good. Q. Victoria, I know you always have been very athletic and you put a lot in your fitness in the past years. Lately, you have been getting to finals and it is more demanding on your body. This is a very important tournament so close to the US Open. Do you have to stop yourself not to overdo it sometimes? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think it's experience. What you learn is to find that balance, because you still want to work through and get some work done. But it's always important to have a good rest, because sometimes to rest is more important than actually training in these stages. So to find that balance is very important. I have a great team of people who also help me with that. So I trust them, and I think I believe in what we do. That's the most important. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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