"It took me 10 years to get over that" - Azarenka on controversial 2013 Australian Open victory
WTA
Victoria Azarenka is looking to make another run to the final at the Australian Open and it would come ten years after her last one.
Azarenka has won the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne twice, winning the titles back-to-back in 2012 and 2013. However, her second triumph was a bit controversial.
Since she stopped the momentum of her semi-final opponent in 2013, Sloane Stephens, with a 10-minute off-court medical timeout, the win was very controversial, and she was accused of cheating and gamesmanship.
Now, ten years later, the Belarusian player spoke about how she felt at the time. She was treated as someone who tried cheating, with no one believing that she struggled with an injury.
"It was one of the worst things that I've ever gone through in my professional career, the way I was treated after that moment, the way I had to explain myself until 10:30 p.m. at night because people didn't want to believe me."
She advanced to the final, in which she bested Na Li to win another trophy, and it took a while to fully process what was said and written about her back then. According to Azarenka, it took her a whole ten years.
"Assumptions and judgments, all those comments, are just s--- because nobody's there to see the full story. It didn't matter how many times I said my story, it did not cut through. It took me 10 years to get over it. I finally am over that."
She's in the semi-final now, with a chance to go to the final once more. She never lost a final in Melbourne but doesn't want to think about that, but rather stay focused on the present.
"I don't really want to take my mind there. I just really want to focus on something that works for me, that keeps me focused, that keeps me calm, keeps me at peace. I think that is a very important part for me, to be at peace."
