French Open: Learning to Love Victoria Azarenka

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Over time, media focus on Victoria Azarenka hasn't been as sharp as on her rival Maria Sharapova, who emerged victorious from their latest battle, in a French Open semifinal. Photo by Patrick Kovarik, courtesy of AFP/Getty Images.

By Bill Simons

We should love her.

She’s young—just 23—and pretty.

She’s overcome much to become a star. How many athletes have risen out of Belarus to become the best in the world? (Plus, her grandmother all but scrubbed floors to keep things going.)

Victoria Azarenka is accomplished—formerly the No. 1 player in the world, the winner of two Australian Opens—and boy, can she hit the bejesus out of a tennis ball. She even has a rock ‘n roll boyfriend.

But we don’t love Victoria Azarenka.

She’s like the girl in high school who, no matter how hard she tries, can’t make it into the popular clique. A perfect storm of circumstances may have doomed her.

The public picks their favorites and Vika is not one of them, at least for now.

As Rafa Nadal might say in the press room, “This is the true.”

***

Azarenka is from a small country, but so was Kim Clijsters, and “our Kimmie” was completely charming. Vika is oh-so-intense on court. But so was Chris Evert—though Evert evolved from “ice maiden” into “America’s  sweetheart,” a fun-loving gal who has provided ample fodder for many a gossip monger.

Vika shrieks, but so does Maria Sharapova. Yet even Maria’s grunt is not as imposing as the almost unending hooting howl that Vika emits, a fateful sound that drives many away. And yes, Azarenka’s boyfriend, rapper Redfoo, is a good tennis player who takes the game seriously, and is said to be a nice guy often available for fundraisers. Still, with hair as in-your-face as Vika’s shriek, he isn’t exactly a PR asset.

Critics noted that for years Vika was moody and petulant with the press. Fans wondered where the variety was in her game or, for that matter, the charm in her personality.

What the press did not want to ask—a subject no one wanted to broach—was this: “Vika, how come you’re not popular?”

So I decided to simply enter the fray and ask her the dreaded question. To warm things up, in the press conference after her quarterfinal win over Maria Kirilenko, I started with a compliment. “You and Sharapova are both great ball strikers,” I said. “How do you try to break down Maria?” She replied, “It’s a matter of really applying your game and not really allowing Maria to step up. Because she loves to hit the first two shots and make you run … So, you know, we are kind of similar and kind of different in the same way. It’s going to be definitely a battle.”

Another writer then queried, “You said it wasn’t like you were married to the clay yet …   How do you feel now with your first semifinal here, about your relationship?” Vika promptly joked, “I still don’t have any ring on my finger. But I feel like we made a step forward. We are moving in together.  [It’s] kind of that type of a relationship—you know, [we’re] moving forward and [we’ll] see what happens after.”

Next, I stepped up. I’d thought at length about how to frame what I said.

“A kind of a tough question,” I began. “But you’ve won slams, Vika, been No. 1, you’re attractive, young, personal. [Now] you’re “moving in with the clay.” All this good stuff is happening. Yet we see few reporters in this [interview] room, and you haven’t, to be honest, really caught on with the public. Can you just talk about that, about your wider acceptability? Do you think it’s because of your intensity, or the sounds? What do you think?

“Well,” Vika began, “I think it also has to do [with the fact] that I’m from a small country, as well. It wasn’t that popular when I was growing up, so people get to know me once I start making big results.”

So I feel like it’s a little bit of a process of getting to know me. And from my side, me showing my personality much more [the] last couple of years, I feel like it’s getting much better.

That was a big learning process for me, to kind of open up and learn how to interact with media, how to interact with fans. I’m glad I have people now who taught me how to do it; now I enjoy it so much.”

Then I asked, “And [what’s] the most fun about being Victoria Azarenka?”

“Just playing tennis,” she replied. “For me, I’m like a kid when I walk on the court. I’m so fortunate to do something that I love from a young age, and I get to play in front of so many people [and] travel the world, even though I don’t see much except tennis courts … different countries, different tennis courts. So … I’m just happy to live in the moment. My life took me to be Victoria Azarenka, so that’s probably the best part.”

She couldn’t resist adding, “I just feel I got better playing on clay, [improved] my relationship with clay.”

Following up, I went in a different direction. “Now that you’ve moved in with clay and you’re housemates and getting to know each other, what are the ground rules that you have for clay?”

Vika smiled and said, “Well, you have to keep loving each other. That’s the most important, love all around.”

“Is open communication also important?” I joked, sounding like some kind of two-bit pop therapist.

“Oh, very important,” she said. “You know, making it work every day. Really committing every time. Yeah, but love is the first and most successful tool.”

“So this could lead to bigger things, maybe?” I asked.

“We’ll see,” said Vika. “[And] by the way, that’s a cool way to approach that.”

***

But on this bright and then muggy Thursday, in the French Open semis, Vika had to approach something else: another Eastern European, an older player with four Slams under her belt who, yes, has her own relationship with clay. After all, the tall, elegant Maria Sharapova once famously likened her grace on the surface to that of  “a cow on ice.”

But Sharapova has evolved into a considerable clay-court force. Some even say it’s her best surface now. Well, hello, she is the French defending champion. She has the best winning percentage in the game on the slow stuff, and, were it not for her nemesis Serena Williams, she’d be considered dominant. Sharapova now moves better, is much stronger and more confident, and seems to like the high bounce and extra time that clay provides. Against her heated rival Vika, she sprinted from the gate. Showing good balance and decent speed, she blasted returns to Azarenka’s feet, opened the court, snuck in occasional drop shots, and even unleashed an adept topspin backhand lob off her backfoot.

This supposedly gawky cow-on-ice completely cowed Vika in the first set, powering her way to an impressive 6-1 start.

It might have been a short semi. Then Maria’s movement faltered and she donated too many points, while Vika lifted her serve and her return game, bravely battling back to capture the second set, 6-2.

But not only are the fans cool to Vika, so, sometimes, are the tennis gods.

It rained.

Vika’s momentum was halted, and when Maria returned after 30 minutes, she stepped up with her power forehands. Despite a run of double faults, she served with smart power, sweeping to a 5-2 third set lead. But on the brink of reaching the final, Sharapova’s usual steely nerve faltered.

She blinked.

Her forehand began to fly wildly, she repeatedly double faulted, and she failed to convert on four match points. Vika promptly held serve, bringing the third set score to 5-4. Yet Sharapova once agin demonstrated her great ability to put setbacks behind her, proceeding to hold serve at love to score a 6-1,2-6, 6-4 triumph.

Her reward? A date in the finals with Serena Williams, who demolished Sara Errani 6-0, 6-1, hitting 40 winners in just 46 mismatched minutes and winning 30 points in a row at one stretch. Serena has beaten Sharapova 12 straight times—including a recent 6-1, 6-4 win on clay in Madrid. After surviving a tough quarterfinal against Svetlana Kuznetseva, she seems determined to fully avenge her first-round loss at Roland Garros last year.

Still, anything can happen. Maybe the 13th time will be the charm for Sharapova. She could score a shock upset, just as Vika might one day become a fan fave. As Vika notes, it’s all a process, it’s all a process.

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