By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday September 26, 2020

 

Victoria Azarenka is embracing the clay in Paris in 2020, perhaps more than ever before.

Photo Source: Getty

Victoria Azarenka isn’t your quintessential dirt-baller (career record 22-12 at Roland Garros, compared to 39-10 at Australia and 40-13 at the US Open), but the Belarusian is a former semifinalist at Roland Garros and clearly knows her way around the clay. This year, seeded tenth and awaiting a first-round clash with Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, Azarenka says she is feeling the clay game much better than she has in a long time.



“I feel like especially from last year, I felt that I finally started to kind of finding my rhythm, actually enjoying myself playing on clay, sliding, instead of cussing the clay out every single time I play on it,” Azarenka told reporters on Friday in Paris.

The Belarusian, who reached her first major final in seven years just two weeks ago at the US Open, seems to be carrying that momentum with her in Europe. She’s positive, relaxed and ready to roll with the punches.

“I feel like I enjoy better, I adjust better,” she said. “As I said earlier, I think it's going to be a lot about adaptation from day-to-day. I'm actually excited of kind of building up my game on clay. The second year I enjoy it after 16 years on tour. It's about time to make some evolution on clay. I'm looking forward to it.” Azarenka has drawn into the same section of the draw as Serena Williams. If both players win through week one they’d meet in the round of 16. It would be their 24th meeting and their second on the red clay of Paris.

Azarenka says that, like many premier hard court players, she used to detest the clay.

“I hated clay,” she said. “I hated everything about it. The shitty bounces, the sliding that I can't stop. The ball bounce here and everything.”

But this version of Azarenka is not about negativity or bad vibes. These days the Belarusian takes what she’s given and rolls with the rest. Chalk it up to wisdom.

Conditions Favor those Who Can Adapt

Azarenka was asked about the cold, heavy conditions that players are experiencing this week in Paris, with cold weather, shorter days, spots of rain, and a new ball manufactured by Wilson, which players believe is heavier than the old Babolat ball.

She says it will take patience, and a lot of adaptability to have success at Roland Garros in autumn.

"It's going to be a lot about adjustment," she said. "I played today for the first time on the courts here after it rained. It's very different. The court feels really, really heavy. It's going to be about adaptation day by day. It's not going to be like a normal Roland Garros where the ball bounces high and the court gets faster. I feel like it's going to be something different. I feel like it's going to be day-to-day adjustment. I think more than ever it's going to be about day-to-day."