Azarenka: Winning Majors More Important than Ranking

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Azarenka: Winning Majors More Important than Ranking

Victoria Azarenka boasts a 14-1 record in 2016, with her only loss coming to eventual champion Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open.

More: Azarenka, Keys Sign up for Grass Court Event in Nottingham

Clearly, the timing wasn’t right at Melbourne for the Belarusian to claim her third major title. She had walloped Kerber in straight sets in the Brisbane final just a few weeks earlier, but at the Australian Open Kerber got revenge and rode that victory to her first career Grand Slam final.

But that doesn’t mean Azarenka’s time isn’t coming.

Though the loss in Melbourne was disappointing, the ever evolving Azarenka has conviction that she’s doing the right things on and off the tennis court to break through again on the big stage in the not too distant future.

“I feel that the most important thing for me right now is feeling that I'm improving from match to match and feeling healthy knowing that when I go out there I give myself the best opportunity to win, which wasn't the case last two years,” Azarenka said on Thursday after shutting down Magdalena Rybarikova in the quarterfinals without dropping a single game.

The current World No. 15 says that despite her more than three year Grand Slam title drought, she’s building up some true momentum this season. And her health and her preparation are fueling her rise.

“If you look at my matches last year I didn't feel like any matches that I lost I was outplayed. In all the matches I had chances and all the matches I could have won those matches,” she said. “So I don't know. I think confidence for me this year comes from being very well prepared and feeling healthy.”

Azarenka has struggled with all kinds of injuries over the last two seasons. They’ve caused her to miss tournaments, drop in the rankings and, as a result, be subject to some pretty harsh draws. Last year she had to face Serena Williams in the third round at Roland Garros and in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Each time a red-hot Williams took her out in three sets, ending her hopes. At the U.S. Open Azarenka fell in three tough sets to Simona Halep in the quarterfinals.

Even though those losses have been disappointing, Azarenka knows she needs to push through and find a way to close out some big matches. Words only take a player so far, after all. She could do that this week in the desert. If she can defeat Karolina Pliskova in the semifinals on Friday night she will likely have another shot at facing Serena Williams in the final.

A title here would place Azarenka back in the Top-10 for the first time since summer of 2014, but the ranking isn’t what concerns the two-time major champion.

“Ranking is not a goal for me,” she told media on Thursday. “My goal is to win Grand Slams in big tournaments. That's going to come afterwards.” She added: “If you want to win a tournament, you have beat any opponent at any time.”

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