By Erik Gudris Photo Credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
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(January 23, 2012) As she steps out onto a court before a match, Victoria Azarenka often emerges wearing a hoodie over her head while a pair of white earphones trail down her neck to an iPod tucked into her pocket that blasts music into her ears as she prepares for the battle ahead. After her fourth round win the other day over Iveta Benesova, Azarenka was asked what song she was listening to as she walked into Rod Laver Arena.
“Today particularly I was listening to Keri Hilson song with Nelly, Lose Control. Kind of ironic.”
Ironic indeed as only 12 months ago, many thought the young Belarusian was at a crossroads in her still young tennis career, primarily due to her inability to keep a handle on her volatile emotions on the court. After a rather uninspired performance in a straight sets loss to Li Na in the fourth round of Melbourne last year, questions swirled around Azarenka who, despite her top ten talent, appeared in danger of being passed by other players of her generation. After another month of bad losses, Azarenka thought about quitting the sport for good until a pep talk from her grandmother convinced her she needed to view the sport and herself with a new positive focus.
With a fresh outlook, “Vika” as she’s known on tour, had her best season ever in 2011 winning three titles last year including Miami along with achieving a career high ranking of No. 3. Now Azarenka is considered a true contender for this year’s Australian Open while having an outside shot at being No. 1 should all the numbers crunch her way. But even though her grandmother’s motivational talk might have sparked the resurgence in Azarenka’s game, it’s her relationship with coach Samuel Sumyk whom she’s been working with since 2010 that Azarenka credits even more for harnessing all of her emotions to her advantage.
“It's a great relationship. We are great friends, if you can call it that. But I think he's a very good coach. For me he helped me so much, not only on court but off court, you know, try to manage my emotions, as well. He was the one who helped me a lot.”
But the outspoken Azarenka admitted Sumyk has had to be tough on her, using the word “brutal” even to describe his methods, though she says it with a smile as if to let you know she can handle it just fine.
“Well, if he's brutal, he's brutal for a reason. If he's tough, he's tough for a reason. I don't try to find excuses and try to back out. I just try to accept. If I've done something wrong, I have to accept and move on. I have to be better. He has to challenge me, as well. I think that's one of the most important things that player and coach has to have, is a compromise. I think the coach should take a player's side and look from the side of the player; the player has to look the other way, because the coach wants to make you better. So sometimes you have to do things you don't like. If he tells you have to go and sit in the ice. Who likes that, right? But you have to do it. So I think the compromise and the communication is the most important thing.”
Compromise doesn’t sound like a word in Azarenka’s vocabulary. After all, this is the same player who raises eyebrows wearing short shorts instead of the traditional ladies’ skirt in her matches and hits the ball with a high-pitched wail that has earned her jeers and prompted officials within the WTA to examine if grunting is become a bigger problem for the tour. But while Azarenka may not ever change her fashion sense or her “vocal stylings” on court, learning to listen to her coach, even when she doesn’t agree all the time along with balancing her intense emotions so they can fuel her in a match, instead of blowing up in her face, could provide Azarenka the vital edge she needs to push herself to the very top of the sport.
Even though Azarenka said she likes to take her matches one at a time, she hinted her almost now trademark gesture of swirling her finger in the air after winning just might get a few steps added to it ala Andrea Petkovic, should she go all the way in Melbourne. When asked if she really would lose control, but in a good way, and dance if she takes her first ever Major, Azarenka said, “We'll see. As I said, I don't want to jump ahead. But why not?”