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U.S. OPENAugust 24, 2013Victoria AzarenkaNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. It's the 40th anniversary, prize money here at this tournament, also the 40th anniversary of the WTA. I just want to ask how you approach tennis as a woman's player and how you fit in that history? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I would fit myself into a new generation of history. You know, with the 40th anniversary, just to see where tennis came from and where we are at right now and how excited, you know, I am, you know, and all the players that we have in the future, as well, it's definitely great to see what's happened and what's going to happen right now. I feel lucky that woman's game and woman's sport is growing, and I'm really excited about that. Q. You're entering the Open with a win over Serena last week and two wins against her this year. How much added confidence does that give you entering the Open? VICTORIA AZARENKA: It gives you great confidence. But I always think that, you know, the new week is the new story. You can always take the best out of what happened last week and, you know, six months ago. So I will definitely take that into consideration, but the new week, you know, US Open, Serena No. 1 player in the world, you know, defending champion here, we all start kind of from zero here. Important is to build from match to match and improve. Q. (Indiscernible.) Do you think you have succeed today reach your top level despite all of this? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think it's a process. It's been very challenging after Doha. You know, it was unfortunate to have the long injury, and then I felt like I had pretty good. You know, clay season was the best one that I had so far. Wimbledon, well, let's not talk about it. (Smiling). I feel that we have made me, you know, realize few things that worked on different aspects of my body, so I always try and take the negative and turn it into positive and learn from that. I think, you know, all my team have been doing a pretty good job. I think it's just the beginning of that. So just excited about, you know, keep working through what we started. Q. As someone who maybe a couple years ago would get down on yourself about mistakes or things like that, how have you learned to manage those mistakes more, double faults or whatever it is in your matches, and how is that helping you succeed? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, there is a lot of them, so I have to get over them quickly sometimes. (Laughter). But just, you know, being young and sometimes in the past being alone a little bit, not educated in that way, you know, being from a different country, kind of learning and experiencing all the different cultures and how people react, can be misunderstood I feel sometimes. But all the, you know, bad emotions that I had, all the anger that kind of transferred into my more professionalism that I take on the court right now, and that demand, instead of getting down on myself, got the demand to get a lot better. So I just feel like I switched the light, and tried to take it into more positive and do the best of what I had, the abilities I have, and try to maximize them. Q. It's a bit hard to do, or was it easy to turn that light on? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, it is hard. It seems easy to talk about it, but you always have ‑‑I feel like you have to find your own way on how to do it. There's no real answer to that. There is kind of like a recipe that you have to make for yourself to go through those emotions, because it can be a roller coaster sometimes. It feels the same, but you have to know how to manage that. Q. A lot of people who write and commentate about tennis say that you and Serena are the overwhelming favorites to win the Open. Do you think there is less depth in the women's game from let's say 1 to 10 than there was last year or the last few years? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Um, I wouldn't think so. I think that, you know, woman's tennis actually is at their highest level right now. Because everywhere you go, the first matches can always be tricky. You have to be ready 100%. There is no really easy rounds, even though, you know, the score sometimes tell one story but you have to be 100% to win that way. But in terms of favorites, I never call favorites really. I just try to play my game. But I don't really agree with that, with not being deep enough, the competition. Q. Up until last year, you hadn't had great success here outside of the crazy injury year. Can you just talk about the process of learning to play well in NewYork? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, I think, you know, the year before last year I had a pretty tough draw. Actually, I had a great match, you know, it just wasn't‑‑ was it the match of the third round? Maybe not. But I always felt good. I think dealing sometimes in the past with the pressure of wanting to succeed so bad here because, you know, it maybe like is one of my favorite events, so that comes‑‑ you know, plays a role. But I don't really think about it, what happened in the past so much. I just try to think what's going to make me better to compete, you know, and to win here. Q. When you get to NewYork do you just have different feelings overall being in the city at this site than you say have in Melbourne? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, it's very different. Any Grand Slam is very different. It has their special vibe about them. Being in NewYork is just really exciting. I feel like it's a whole different event really. I always look forward to come here. And knowing that it's the last Grand Slam of the year, it all makes it special. Q. When you talked about that new generation of women's players, do you consider yourself a leader? If so, does that fill you with pride? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't know. I would love to be ‑‑if I'm one, you know, it's a great achievement. But I don't think of myself to lead the new generation. I'm just trying to be the best me who I can be. If that inspires or, you know, motivates other people or shows my leadership in that generation, it's great achievement. Q. You change something on your serve or sometimes the shot is in your head or... VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think I'm always changing. That's why sometimes it's out of this world (smiling). Q. You were saying when you were rehabbing and working on different parts of your body. The injuries were to your legs and hips, so is it lower body or are you doing stretching or strengthening or what's different there? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Everything. I always work entire body. I truly believe that tennis is a sport that you have to have pretty much every physical ability from power to, you know, to speed, to reaction to flexibility. So I have never been very flexible. I'm working on that. It got much, much better. But kind of putting all the pieces together. I think in a physical ability I have so much room to improve, and that's just really exciting for me. Q. When you look back at last year, is it a good memory for you or is it a bittersweet memory? VICTORIA AZARENKA: I never look back, really. I always look forward. My head doesn't spin all the way back (Laughter). It will always be a special moment, for sure, because I felt like that whole tournament, that final match made a big, left a big mark on my future career. I still feel that way. Q. Just back to the Cincinnati victory, you have been a good volleyer for a long time and have had some success in doubles. You hit some key volleys at the net. Has it been a process for you in singles to think about, yes, I can go to net on big points and win these points at the net? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I think so. I think it's something I can add more to my game, you know, always try to find a way to make it more compact. I felt like, you know, even since SanDiego when we talked the last time that that's what I was trying to do. It wasn't sometimes that successful maybe in the first steps, but I feel like it's a right move, right direction for me. If I feel that way, I stick to it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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