MELBOURNE, Australia | It’s been ten years since the former best player in the world, Victoria Azarenka, last reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open. This year, the Belarusian won her second and last major title at the Rod Laver Arena.
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But even this conquest was marked by controversy. In the semifinals, “Vika” took a 10-minute medical break towards the end of the second heat.
Her rival of the day, American Sloane Stephens, had just saved three match points only to break them and level the score at 5-4.
By the time he returned from the dressing room, Azarenka had won the meeting in the next game by breaking in turn. She then told ESPN, “She needed to calm down.”
The match was played in Melbourne in sweltering heat and the young champion “couldn’t breathe”.
“It’s like I’m having a heart attack,” she said.
At a press conference a little later, she corrected herself that she had misunderstood the American broadcaster’s question. “The reason I couldn’t breathe was because my back was stuck,” she said.
your worst moment
This extended medical break and correction had brought the Belarusian a lot of criticism from the tennis world. Azarenka had been called a liar on social networks.
This episode clearly left its mark. Ten years later, after defeating third-seeded American Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-1 with inspired play in Tuesday’s quarterfinals, the 33-year-old called the episode “the worst moment ever of her career.”
“The way I was treated, how I had to explain myself until 10:30 p.m. because nobody wanted to believe me…”, the 24th seeded dropped in Melbourne.
No villains or heroes
The eyes of the former Top 10 could not be read at the time, as she wore sunglasses to the press conference to keep the light from giving her a migraine.
But the tone left little doubt. Azarenka still had scores to settle. “Do you know what really happened 10 years ago? That’s the problem, ”she replied to the journalist who questioned her on the matter.
Before the start of the fortnight, Serbian Novak Djokovic lamented the fact that he was portrayed as a “bad guy” in the media last year after his Australian visa was annulled.
The Belarusian echoed the words of the 21-big-title man on Tuesday.
“Sometimes there’s this incredible desire to write a story with a villain and a hero,” she said. But we’re not villains or heroes, we’re normal people going through many, many things.”
“Assumptions and judgments, these comments are crap because no one knows the bottom line of the story. I explained it several times and no one believed me.
“It took me ten damn years to get over it. I’ve finally succeeded.”
Accept fear and anxiety
Beyond that episode, Azarenka said she worked for six months to calm the anxiety that sometimes came over her on the pitch and that was undermining part of her career.
“I’m trying to accept that fear, that fear that lives inside me,” the veteran said. To be neither positive nor negative on the pitch, just neutral.”
It seems to be working for Vika since the beginning of the two weeks as it sometimes looks like yesterday’s Azarenka.
But don’t tell him. She doesn’t like that expression.
Don’t think about the title
Despite this, the Belarusian is back in the semifinals of this Australian Open, which is the scene of her only two Grand Slam titles in her career.
She will play Kazakh Elena Rybakina, 22nd seed and winner at Wimbledon last year, tonight or tonight (Eastern Time).
And now that she’s moved on from what happened 10 years ago, does Azarenka think she’s ready to finally clinch the treble in Melbourne?
“It’s too early to think about it. I think the answers I gave you earlier about my current mentality make it clear that I don’t want to think about winning right away.
Live from Melbourne Park
We told you yesterday how much Australians love to drink. This applies to both coffee and alcohol. But they also like to eat. At the Australian Open venue, food concessions are always full. And in Melbourne’s most popular corners, you won’t find restaurants on every street corner; Instead, they can be found everywhere on the street.
Asian cuisine on the rise
Melbourne has more than 3,500 restaurants serving food from more than 70 countries, according to the Tourism Bureau. But in the heart of the city, it’s mostly Asian cuisine that takes center stage. And there’s something for every budget, from small canteens offering dishes for under $10 to $80, from the famous “dumplings” to braised abalone (it’s a sea slug), to shark soup.
kangaroo on your plate
The only place you can see kangaroos in Melbourne is at the zoo…or on your plate. But no, it’s not meat that all Australians eat regularly at home. Like beef, it can be eaten grilled or as a tartare. It’s low in fat, high in protein and tender, at least when prepared well. And yes, it tastes a bit like beef. Plus, you don’t have to travel 10,000km to eat it: it’s sold in Quebec.
Melbourne is tennis
Watch the Australian Open action live with a view of the skyscrapers on a few giant screens in downtown Melbourne. Sure, it’s not like experiencing the stadium atmosphere, but it saves the cost of admission to the central Rod Laver Arena, where Tuesday’s ticket will cost at least $199 for the women’s semifinals and … $1,200 for the Men’s tournament on Sunday was sold final.
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