National Post (National Edition)
Azarenka loses composure after winning final
‘They were scary tears of joy,’ top-ranked player says
MELBOURNE • Victoria Azarenka came into Saturday’s final facing a hostile crowd as well as a sceptical media. Despite her attempts to clear the air, Australia’s television channels were continuing to rake over her infamous medical time out against Sloane Stephens in the previous round.
Azarenka’s whole camp was distressed by the situation. Her coach, Sam Sumyk, described Melbourne’s reporters as “sharks” in an angry interview, adding: “She’s 23 years old, guys, come on. I think the journalists should take some lessons out of this — not necessarily the athletes.”
Yet Azarenka herself was ruthlessly single-minded against Li Na on Saturday — in sharp contrast to the hyperventilating panic attack that struck her down when she served for the match against Stephens. Not only did she tune out the jeers, but she kept her composure through two dramatic interruptions when Li went over on her ankle and needed medical treatment of her own.
After closing out a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory, Azarenka sat down, pulled a towel over her head and sobbed as if she thought the world was ending. “It wasn’t a happy face, but I was happy inside,” she said.
“They were scary tears of joy. I guess the whole world knows by now I am an emotional player. When you’re in a tournament like this for two weeks, you don’t realize how much pressure you are under. You try to focus, to be in the zone, and when it’s over it’s a huge weight off shoulders. You don’t have to worry what you do in the next hour. Do you have treatment? Do you have practice?
“That last couple of days were very educational for me, to know how to deal with things I hadn’t dealt with before. I can put on a poker face sometimes, but sometimes I get too emotional.
“I always play with so much passion, when I am out there the way I behave is so natural. I’m not trying to fake anything, it’s just the natural way of how I feel because I play with all my heart.”
Asked if she had spoken to Stephens since their semi-final, Azarenka explained that they had ex- changed text messages. These two women share an agent, the former world No. 35 Meilen Tu, and it was noticeable how generous Stephens was in her post-match interview. “We actually are pretty good friends,” she said, while appearing to take the time-out debacle rather less seriously than most of those commenting on it from the sidelines.
“It’s important that me and Sloane are OK, and we talked yesterday so we’re all good,” Azarenka clarified Sunday. “I sent her a message. I think she was flying, her phone was off, but she sent me one back. So I’ll see her in Doha.”
Just as the physical challenge of recovering from a five-set match seemed to affect Andy Murray’s title bid yesterday, so the destiny of the women’s tournament was shaped by injuries.
Serena Williams went out with a ballooning ankle and a wrenched back, Britain’s Laura Robson lost her best chance of eliminating Stephens when she woke up with tendinitis in her serving shoulder, and Li needed a concussion test after whacking her head on the ground during Saturday’s final.
“It’s a real long way [from the first round to the final],” Azarenka said, “and the game became so physical right now. It plays such a huge role everywhere. I don’t think five or six years ago everyone was working out so hard.
“If you think that yesterday I felt great, absolutely not. You always feel some pain, if you are stressed out you feel a little bit more pain or less pain but what happened in the semi-final [when the doctor suggested that her extreme shortness of breath might have been caused by a locked rib] completely freaked me out.
“Earlier in my career, I had a lot of issues with my body. It was still growing, not working properly. Now I do more fitness than I play tennis. I don’t play much, the balance is probably 70-30. I enjoy to work out. I think it’s important to have music on and dance, it’s amazing how it changes the whole atmosphere of the workout, makes it so much fun.”
Azarenka’s love of music may partly explain her close friendship with RedFoo, lead singer of the band LMFAO, who was at courtside when she went over to celebrate on Saturday night.
The TV microphones picked up his passionate but somewhat postwatershed message to her: “We f----- love you baby, you’re f------ amazing, you deserve it!”
Azarenka clutched his hand but could not answer. She was still crying her scary tears of joy.