Victoria Azarenka, may have been more well known for her infamous grunts and groans during matches, more than for her actual talents themselves. Well, with her 2nd consecutive Australian Open title, that may have changed.
She’s far from the most beloved player in the world of tennis, she’s got a bit of a flare for the dramatic, and has been injury prone throughout the years. But one thing that can no longer be denied is that she has asserted herself as an elite woman’s tennis player in the stagnant world of Sharapova’s and Williams sisters.
Azarenka is the 23-year-old Belarus native, who has moaned her way to the top place in the ATP rankings. She managed to dispatch of crowd favorite, China’s Li Na, in three straight sets–the last of which seemed effortless; she bested Na 4-6, 6-4 6-3, to take the Title. Azarenka issued the following statement following the win
“I had to stay calm. I had to stay positive. I just had to deal with the things that came onto me.”- via Espn
The match lasted a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes, and during which saw Na tumble and twist her ankle in the 2nd and 3rd set. The injured Na soon generated a wave of support from the crowd, but the 30 year old could not over match Azarenka. This is Victoria’s second grand slam victory, as she proves to be a specialist on the hard courts.
Time can only tell if she possesses the versatility to master the clay of Roland-Garos or the grass of Wimbledon, but her career is sky rocketing.