An interview with Victoria Azarenka at the Sony Ericsson Open (2 April 2011)

Victoria Azarenka, who has ties to the Oilers goaltender and his family, defeated Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4 to win the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami’s Crandon Park.

Q. When are you moving to Miami?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Today. (Smiling.) I'm staying.

Q. Talk about the match. Obviously you got off to a great start after the 1-1 situation and Maria was spraying the ball. You just played well the whole way, didn't you?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I think I had the right tactics. You know, she likes to swing big, and when she has time it's very heavy and coming fast. So I was trying to take time away and not let her do that. So I think it seemed like she was missing a lot because of my game. But in the end she really stepped it up. I don't think I did something wrong, she was just going for her shots, catching few lines, and playing really good. So I just had to really hang in there and keep playing my game.

Q. How did you break her so often? Was it her serve or were you so confident in the return game?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think I have one of the best returns. That's one of my weapons. It was a little bit tough on one side with the sun. I think she felt a little bit uncomfortable. For me it was also a little bit uncomfortable. Right after your first shot sometimes it's a little blurry.
Besides that, yeah, I think I was returning really well today.

Q. You seemed comfortable and relaxed. Is that the case, and why was that?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I'm very relaxed all the time.

Q. You seemed right at home.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, you could say that. I think I changed my mentality a little bit. I'm enjoying myself so much on the court that there's no room for me for frustration, even though I know somebody's really pissed off about it. They want to see me very emotional. They like it. But that's how I am right now.

Q. What is it about the conditions here or in Miami? Do you think it's a coincidence that you've won two of the last three times here against big time players?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I think the heat really suits me well. (Laughing.) No, I mean, it feels good. Hardcourt is one of my favorite surfaces, and I've been just really working hard for this last two tournaments. I played very good tennis in Indian Wells, and unfortunately got injured. It was amazing for me to come here, didn't really practice enough, and step up my game so well. With that, I really have to thank my physio, J.P., who did an incredible job for me to be able to play here.

Q. What's the key about your patience? Because in the past, you lose your head and you lose the match.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: You're absolutely right.

Q. What's the key?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: What's the key? I just don't care if I lose. I'm just there to do the best I can. I'm going to fight for every ball, and for me it's just to do the best job as possible. What outcome comes out, it's not up to me. I'm just there to do my best job.

Q. You talked a few times about being so happy and not caring about losing and stuff. You mentioned you had a bad period after Dubai. Talk a little bit more about how you arrived at this present mentality.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, it was kind of funny, you know. I went home and spent three days at home just by myself and just realized few things what I want to do with my life, how to really find that balance to raise my level. I guess it takes time and sometimes loneliness to realize what you have to do in your life. So I just came to practice before, and I just tried every day to be happy, to enjoy myself on the court, and do, as I said, the best job as I can.

Q. What was behind this gesture here after you won?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Spinning. I didn't realize, you know, I won the match because was so crazy. I was like fourth match point, or I don't know which one.

Q. You didn't realize it was match point?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: No. I mean, I realized it, but in my head it was just spinning a little.

Q. Maria's only two years older than you but has been around for a long time. When did you first see her? There are similarities in your games. Is there anything you took from her watching her coming up?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I wouldn't say that, but I know she's been around. She's really one of the youngest players to be on such a high level. That's really remarkable from her game and her personality. But, no, I don't think we have the similar game at all. The similarities are that we're both aggressive players. The way we hit our shots, the way we play the ball around, I think, is very different.

Q. I think most athletes would probably tell you if you don't care if you win you're probably not going to win. Seems contradictory.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, for sure. Well, you always care to win. What I meant by not caring about losing is not to create such a big drama out of it. If you lose the match, I mean, you just lose a tennis match. It's not the end of the world.
You can see so many things happening in the world, and I know it sounds a little bit out there, but look what happens in Japan, for example, and we're here playing tennis, being able to do something that we love. So, I mean, why make a big deal out of it?

Q. The last three players you played in the tournament, Clijsters, Zvonareva, and Sharapova, they made a lot of mistakes playing with you. Do you think it's just a coincidence, or it's your game that makes them play not too well?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think it's the game that you make. Because for example, when I lose to somebody and I make mistakes, people don't say, Oh, she didn't play well. They say, for example, Clijsters or Zvonareva really beat her. So I think it's in the other way. Sometimes players make more mistakes, but also you can take it in the way your opponent makes you to miss. For example, you can see so much with Caroline's game. She makes players miss, and not because they're playing bad.

Q. Were you thinking of quitting when you came to that decision a few months back? If so, what would you have done?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't know. I would have fun.

Q. Were you thinking of quitting?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: For a second. For a second, really slight second, but then my mom just kicked my ass for that. (Laughter.)

Q. How does that trophy feel different from the one two years ago?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: It's more heavy. (Laughing.) And it's different. But it's very special. You know, it is very special.

Q. Is it any different winning it the second time?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: It's always different. Always. You know, it's different mentality right now.

Q. Now that it's all said and done, who has the better shriek?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't know. I think mine is quieter.

Q. Did you think she was louder today?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't know.

Q. What do you do with $700,000? When they hand you that check, does it boggle your mind?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, you know, you have to pay taxes from it, so it rips your heart out. (Smiling.)

Q. Is there something you want to buy?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: If I want to buy something? You know, I have absolutely everything that I want in my life. It's not money that's going to make me happy.
But it's nice. You know, it's good. You can't complain.

Q. Have you heard from Caroline yet?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I heard from her yesterday. She wished me good luck. I don't know if she's here. I would love to know if she's hear. We can go celebrate maybe.

Q. Do you think you're able to win a Grand Slam this year or to be No. 1 at the end of this year?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: You know, a lot of French people like to put pressure on somebody, right? You know, I'm really thinking about it. Definitely it's one of my goals to try to climb up highest ranking as possible. But I would like to take it step by step and really develop my game. It's really developing right now. I think you can see the difference. So I would really like to stick with that and move forward.

Q. You haven't won a lot matches last year on clay. What do you think you need to improve on clay this year to do better?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, last year I was injured throughout the whole clay court season. It started in Marbella and I couldn't recover. So the most important is to be healthy, and, as I said, try to develop my game. Because you have to adjust for the clay with the movement, with your shots. So just really have to be smart and work hard to get ready and change a little bit the way I'm going to be playing on clay.

Q. When were you first aware of Maria? Wimbledon final? Did you see her on TV?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Maria first time? Yeah. I saw her when she was 12 first time, and then when she was 14 she was like three times bigger. (Smiling.)

Q. Was that a junior tournament?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, at Eddie Herr.

Q. With Caroline Wozniacki, did you learn something from her?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I think you can learn a lot from her, how she is on the court. She is such a good fighter. She really plays every ball, no matter what. You can see how much -- if she's not feeling great she can turn the matches around. I think everybody, you know, can look up, especially kids, to really look up how well she does that.

Q. When you got the two let cord winners in a row to win that game, were you thinking, This is my day or what?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I have to be lucky sometimes. You know, you have to be sometimes lucky. But unfortunately she got a let at 30-All after, and I was like, well, you know, it's going to go back and forth. You got to take it what it is. Unfortunate, but sometimes it's luck also.

Q. Do you have a preference in terms which major you would like to win?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: No. It's the same points. Maybe a little bit different of prize money, but title is good.

Q. But your game seems perhaps better suited to hardcourt, you think?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Probably. But as I said, you have to adjust and be smart of how you prepare yourself to play on clay or grass. I had very good matches on grass. I played very well last year, so we'll see.

Q. Do you feel that by winning the tournament, like Maria, that you're going to be getting more endorsements? You have the perfect name to sell Victoria's Secret.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: It would be good. My agent has to work hard for it. But thanks for the tip.

Q. When you say home, is it Minsk?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: It's Belarus, yes, Minsk.

Q. When are you going to play doubles with Caroline?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Doubles? Well, she doesn't want to play doubles. She's all about singles.

Q. You won in Memphis.
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, we did. I don't know, but I would love to play with her one day. I'm playing with Maria Kirilenko right now. She's a fun girl. She's a great friend of mine. We have some great results. We'll see with Caroline. One day for sure.

Q. You had great results when you played with Shahar Peer, too. Any chance of that?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don't know. Right now I'm playing with Maria until the end of the year, but you never know.

Q. Are you going to drink champagne tonight?
VICTORIA AZARENKA: Red wine.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Maria Sharapova's Interview after beating Andrea Petkovic in the Sony Ericsson Open 2011

The post-match choreography was all Maria Sharapova’s, with the Siberian blowing little kisses to all sides of the stadium after an astonishing turnaround in the heat and a gusting wind that was splaying the palm trees (31 March 2011).

Q. In light of the week you've had and with the weather conditions today and she's playing great, how satisfying is that win today?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I'm really happy that I'm back in the finals here. I missed this tournament so many years. So to be back in the final and -- I started off really well in this tournament. Almost lucky to be here. Had a tough one the other night and also a three-setter today. She's been playing the best tennis of her career and beat some good players here, so I was really happy I was able to change things around after losing the first set.

Q. She said that one of the things that makes you such a good champion is that you sense right away a weakness in the other player and basically you jump on that. She said that she felt that you sensed she was hesitating, whatever. Can you talk about that?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, to be honest, I felt like I was just making a lot errors in the first set and I wasn't moving my feet at all. And especially with the wind I wasn't moving towards the ball and letting the ball come to me and not really being aggressive. That's what's won me so many matches in my career is when I step in and I hit my strokes and they come deep. I just wasn't doing that. So first and foremost I felt like I had to start doing that and making little steps and adjusting my game a little bit. More than anything, I sensed that she was tired -- probably a lot of the dancing that she's been doing -- and I took advantage of it.

Q. She thought you would be tired in the third after the long match you had the previous night. Didn't seem to be that way.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Because I didn't do the dance after. I wasn't tired.

Q. It's the steps, is it?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I don't know what it is. I just know that I won my match and I won it today again.

Q. Clearly you feel physically good, strong. You say you were hitting your groundstrokes pretty powerfully in the second and third set.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I started to. Yeah, I think that's really important. I didn't feel like I had in the beginning. I don't think it was because of that. I think it was just because I was not moving that well. I knew that I had to make that adjustment, yeah.

Q. Is that the best you've served in a while? You really picked it up in the second and third set.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I did. But I felt like in the first set I wasn't returning or serving well, and that took the pressure away on her serve. And even when she had second serve opportunities, she just had a lot of confidence. I didn't take a lot of that out of the way.

Q. You were very dominate in the second set. Going into the third set, how did you feel? Did you feel there's no way you could lose or this match is still up for grabs?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I wish I could feel like that. I would be overconfident if I felt like that. But it's tricky, because you have to figure that it's one set all. And although you just won the set 6-0, I still felt like we had a lot of deuce games, as much as we did in the first set, I just didn't win them. It was a matter of making sure that I was doing the same things that I did in order to change the match, to keep doing them and being consistent about that.

Q. Seems like the Russian women were really dominating the game five years ago, and that's changed lately. You may meet Vera in the final. Will that be exciting?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, absolutely. Another girl is from Belarus as well. So all from the same region, I guess. But, yeah, we had a lot of great results from our country many years ago, like you said, so it obviously would be great to play Vera. We haven't faced each other for a while, so, yeah, it would be nice.

Q. What would it mean to win this tournament?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It would mean a lot. It's the biggest tournament I think after the Grand Slams. Like I said, I'm pretty fortunate to be in the finals after having a few tough ones like I had the previous rounds. Yeah, I look forward to going out there and getting it done.

Q. Are you back? Do you feel like you're back to the top, you can get right to the top again?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I feel like I'm finding my form. Like I said, I was looking to play a lot of the matches before I came to Indian Wells. I really felt like with many matches and staying healthy that I would feel better and my form would start coming back to me, and my tennis as well. I feel that that's playing out really well.

Q. Talk about what happened with your shoulder and sort of the process of coming back from this and maybe why it took a little bit longer than you hoped and how you've had to adjust your form to help your shoulder more?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Um, I don't know how much you know about it, but I had a couple minor tears in it, tendon tears, that weren't initially seen in the first MRI I did, and I played with it for a little while. Got a little bit worse after that. We caught it a little late, and that's why I think it took a little longer than it should have. I tried to rehab I believe the first two months. When that didn't help I had surgery on it. Probably took me six, seven months after the surgery to come back to the tour.

Q. Have you had to change your serve?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I did in the beginning, yeah.

Q. How about now?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Um, well, in the beginning I had a much shorter motion. Just kind of took it straight up. My joints are pretty loose in my shoulders and kind of throughout my whole body. That's one of the reasons why I think I got the injury in the first place. So in order to start earlier I had to change it. Now it's not as long as it used to be, but it's pretty much there.

Q. Do you and Sasha ever exchange competitive strategies about each other's sports?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Give me an example.

Q. He's had his ups and downs over the years. Every athlete does.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah.

Q. Talk about certain situations...
MARIA SHARAPOVA: It obviously helps that he's an athlete and understands the perspective and the mindset going into matches and being an athlete. It's quite different to many other things in life and careers. We have that between each other. We're obviously in different sports, but we -- although we're all in sports and we understand each other, it's not something that we constantly talk about.

Q. Is there any one piece of advice you gave him or he gave you that stayed with the other person?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I think that stays between us.

Q. I didn't mean to say what it was...
MARIA SHARAPOVA: You just asked the question. (Laughter.)

Q. Have you exchanged things?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Well, of course. Obviously he's my fiancee. We talk. We talk about many things. He understands what I go through obviously, like you said, from an athlete's perspective. It's very different. You have ups and downs and wins and then the losses, and he's always there for me and understands what I go through. So it's very nice to have that.

Q. Your return of serve today again was very phenomenal, and you also mentioned it earlier. Has that always been such a strong part of your game?
MARIA SHARAPOVA: I didn't think so in the first, but I think that was one of the adjustments that I had to make for the second and third set, was to really -- you know, by me saying being aggressive, it starts from the first ball you hit. That starts with the return, because it puts something in their mind when they go up to the line. They have to go for a little bit more maybe. So I've been returning quite well throughout this tournament, and it's something that's going to be quite important in the final.

Q. Talk about your match maybe against Azarenka.
MARIA SHARAPOVA: Um, she plays really aggressive and swings really hard from both sides. You know, a great returner. It'll be tough. I lost to her the last time we played - in Stanford that was, I believe - so, yeah, I'll look to change a few things around if I play her.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports