Paris: Victoria Azarenka used to create the impression on court she was contending with more than an opponent. There seemed to be demons at play as well. Consider her fourth-round meltdown against Nadia Petrova at Wimbledon in 2009. She began mimicking her own movements before sarcastically shaking a linesperson's hand and telling the chair umpire, "You guys have so much power to ruin the whole match."
She is now a more focused two-time Grand Slam tournament winner and awaiting the clay courts at Roland Garros, where last year she lost her No. 1 ranking to eventual champion Maria Sharapova. "The main goal for me is the French Open," she told The Associated Press. Azarenka is the first to acknowledge she can still cause herself problems - like losing her temper, especially when her serve is off.
She says her turnaround began at the 2011 Australia Open. Azarenka, seeded eighth, lost to eventual finalist Li Na in the fourth round. The great promise Azarenka had shown by winning 24 of her first 26 matches in 2009 seemed to be fizzling. She was distraught and flew home to speak with her grandmother.
"I decided I didn't want to play anymore and I had to re-evaluate a lot of things," she said. Her grandmother advised Vika - the name she is affectionately known by - that the solution was to find a way to be happy. The words had a big impact on the 23-year-old Azarenka, who had begun playing
02:19 PM, May 24, 2013
Rome: Serena Williams won her fourth consecutive title of the year in dominating fashion Sunday, beating third-seeded Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-3 in the Italian Open final. The top-ranked American will enter the French Open, which starts next Sunday, on a career-best 24-match winning streak. Williams was coming off consecutive titles in Miami; Charleston, South Carolina; and Madrid last week. Williams' only previous title at this clay-court event came in 2002,...
06:58 PM, May 19, 2013
Madrid: Maria Sharapova rallied from a break down in the first set to beat Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania 7-5, 6-2 on Monday and reach the second round of the Madrid Open. The second-seeded Russian said she was still adjusting to changing weather conditions in Madrid and "the altitude as well" after winning the title in Stuttgart last weekend. "It was a tough match," Sharapova said. "I was really happy that...
11:24 AM, May 07, 2013
Sydney: Pakistani asylum-seeker Fawad Ahmed has signed to play with Australian state side Victoria for the next three seasons, Cricket Victoria said on Friday. Leg-spinner Ahmed, who could be in contention to play for Australia in the Ashes series in England in July if he is granted citizenship on time, was named in Victoria's squad for the next Australian season. "Fawad Ahmed was the success story from last year and...
09:57 AM, Apr 26, 2013
Azarenka withdrew from the Sony Open before her opening match because of a lingering right ankle injury. ...
08:48 AM, Mar 23, 2013
The United States is looking forward to timely, free and fair elections in Pakistan, a State Department official said on Friday, after the announcement of the schedule of the national elections in Islamabad. ...
08:46 AM, Mar 23, 2013
Playing again at No. 1, Serena Williams routed Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-1, 6-1 in the second round of the Sony Open. ...
06:50 AM, Mar 22, 2013
No.1 one is a great number said the Russian after demolishing eighth-seeded Wozniacki 6-2, 6-2 at Indian Wells. ...
08:52 AM, Mar 19, 2013
The Obama administration on Monday rejected accusations of any US involvement in a plot to assassinate a Venezuelan opposition leader. "Let me say it here extremely clearly, looking right at you, the United States categorically rejects allegations of any US government involvement in any plot to destabilise the Venezuelan government or to harm anyone in Venezuela," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a regular press briefing. ...
02:57 AM, Mar 19, 2013
Azarenka had complained about her ankle earlier in the week and she limped toward the players' dining area. ...
04:39 AM, Mar 15, 2013
Stosur, the seventh seed, injured her right calf on Tuesday while serving for the match during her 4-6 6-2 6-3 victory over Germany's Mona Barthel. ...
03:39 AM, Mar 15, 2013
Fifth seed Petra Kvitova advanced with a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win over fellow Czech Klara Zakopalova but third seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was knocked out. ...
08:40 AM, Mar 13, 2013
Top-ranked and defending women's champion Victoria Azarenka rallied to beat Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 3-6, 6-3, 6-0. ...
10:31 AM, Mar 12, 2013
US First Lady Michelle Obama has been named the most stylish woman in the world beating Queen Elizabeth and Victoria Beckham. The 49-year-old was commended for using fashion as a "force for good" by Sunday Times Style magazine, reports contactmusic.com. ...
06:37 PM, Mar 11, 2013
Victoria Azarenka recovered from a sluggish start to beat Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-1 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open. ...
09:54 AM, Mar 10, 2013
Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton has been named celebrity mother of the year in Britain, just days after her ex-bandmate Melanie Chisholm landed the same prize. ...
03:32 PM, Mar 08, 2013
As Hyderabad was hit by twin blasts on Thursday, India's top diplomat Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai was in the US outlining terrorism as a significant security challenge. Mathai said that India could face an increased terror threat from Afghanistan in the years ahead. ...
08:27 AM, Feb 22, 2013
Serena Williams withdrew from the Dubai Championships because of a lower back injury just minutes before she was due on court for a second round match. ...
09:55 PM, Feb 20, 2013
Second-ranked Victoria Azarenka has withdrawn from the Dubai Championships because of a bone bruise in her foot. ...
05:27 PM, Feb 19, 2013
