Was this posted? It was over on the AO thread:
Wednesday 21 January 2009
By Rick D'Andrea
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Q: How did you feel with the heat after your first round win?
Victoria Azarenka: Well, it was tough. There is not much you can do at this time, take as much time as you can and try to find the shade anywhere you can and drink as much as possible, get some ice on you during the changeovers, and do every single thing possible that you can do to keep yourself cool.
Q: Do you have a suitcase big enough to take home two Australian trophies after your win in Brisbane?
Victoria Azarenka: Hopefully I can win here, but I never think about it. I just think about my next match and we’ll see how we go.
Q: This is your third Australian Open appearance and you've not been past the third round; what do you think your chances are of progressing past it this year?
Victoria Azarenka: Like I said, I don’t think about that. I just go match by match. We’ll see where it takes me.
Q: You are the 13th seed and for some, it is an unlucky number. How do you feel about it? Is it lucky, unlucky or just another number?
Victoria Azarenka: I saw that I’m the 13th seed, I’m 113 in the (draw) and I played (my first match) on Court 13. They say that it is unlucky for many people, but for me, it was lucky.
Q: Do you think playing both the singles and doubles this year is going to have an effect on you, either physically or mentally?
Victoria Azarenka: It shouldn’t affect me too much. I’ll just have a rest today, and I love to play doubles. I’ll have a practice, return some volleys, some serves. I just enjoy playing and I have a very good partner in Vera [Zvonareva] and have lots of fun.
Q: I read somewhere that you admire Roger Federer; would you like to team up with him and play some mixed doubles one day?
Victoria Azarenka: I think you cannot seriously say no to that at all. There’s no way that you can say no that.
Q: Have you recovered from your illness from Sydney?
Victoria Azarenka: Yeah. I just arrived, and it was the flight. I just saw the court, and came on court, and I just lost my way. It was tough. I couldn’t really push myself so much. It was worse for me to try it. And it also gave someone else a chance to play instead of me.
Q: What about your injuries from 2008? Have you got over your knee and back issues that you had?
Victoria Azarenka: So far, I’m healthy and I’m just so happy, and for me it’s the most important thing, as long as I’m healthy, I can play tennis. I’ve been working very hard, not to be getting injured, and come back to full health.
Q: You’ve been to Melbourne a few times before, what have you seen of our city? What do you like about it? What have you planned to see this year?
Victoria Azarenka: I love Melbourne, I love Australia. It’s so nice here. The whole atmosphere makes it so exciting. I’ve been going around Melbourne every day, walking down the river, meeting people, riding the bike, going out. A great atmosphere makes you liked outside of the tennis world.
Q: Does it make you play better tennis, that atmosphere?
Victoria Azarenka: Yeah. It makes you just want to go and try all your best because people come and support you, so it’s nice.
Q: Do you have any superstitions before or after your matches?
Victoria Azarenka: Not really, not for me. I don’t really have any superstitions. The only one is that I change my grip on my racquet before each match.
Q: Do you have a favourite tourist destination?
Victoria Azarenka: I haven’t been much of a tourist anywhere, but I went to Malaysia for my vacation, which I loved. It was a great place.
Q: If you could be anything other than a tennis player, what would you have been?
Victoria Azarenka: I would love to have been an actress. I would love to be in a big Hollywood movie. Maybe something in fashion as well.
Q: What was the last movie you saw?
Victoria Azarenka: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Q: What was the last song you bought or downloaded?
Victoria Azarenka: Britney Spears – Circus
Victoria Azarenka plays Italian Tathiana Garbin in the second round tomorrow.
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