1) She Has Something to Prove
After struggling with a terrible foot injury in the middle of the season and then a thigh injury during the Asian swing, Victoria has been struggling with her physique almost all year long. Despite being injured and having to pull out of tournaments, she still managed to come back each and every single time stronger. After withdrawing from Birmingham she came back to reach the quarters at Wimbledon, finishing one set shy of beating Serena.
She hasn’t had the best of luck with the draws, falling to Williams at Wimbledon and the French Open, both times winning a set, and then against Halep at the US Open, once again in three sets. Despite proving to be a tough competition for all top players, Vika closed the year outside the top 20.
That means Azarenka has a lot to prove to those who want to count her out of the competition for the first places in the ranking and the major wins. A former World no.1, Vika has been hit in her champion’s ego and has the extra motivation of having something to prove, both to the people and to herself…
2) She is Working on Her Serve
The first videos of Azarenka in the off-season show the Belarusian is working to change her movement on the first serve to increase the power and hit more flat. Working closely with Sascha Bajin, former hitting partner of Serena Williams, Victoria could gather the tips she needs to improve the first shot in the game. With a stronger, more consistent first serve, Azarenka could have found the weapon she needs to save energy and start the service games on the aggression.
3) She Can Beat All the Top Players and Serena
Victoria has the game to challenge all the top players currently in women’s tennis. Let’s have a look at the Head-2-Head record Vika owns with the top 10
Serena Williams vs. Azarenka 17-3
Halep vs. Azarenka 1-2
Muguruza vs. Azarenka 0-0
Sharapova vs. Azarenka 7-8
Radwanska vs. Azarenka 5-12
Kvitova vs. Azarenka 4-3
Venus Williams vs. Azarenka 4-2
Pennetta vs. Azarenka 2-2
Safarova vs. Azarenka 1-6
Kerber vs. Azarenka 0-5
Not counting Muguruza, against whom Azarenka has never played, Vika has beaten all top players at least twice before and has winning or very close records against all but Serena Williams.
That said, Viktoria in the years has appeared to be the only player who on a good day would be able to challenge Serena to the limit. Of the 17 losses Azarenka faced against Serena, six happened in three sets. The closest matches have been the 2012 US Open final and the two matches they have played this year in Paris and London.
Here the highlights of the match played by Serena and Victoria in the last 8 at the Championships:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC8S9RhhsZM
Considering how 2015 hasn’t been a great season for Azarenka we can expect the Belarusian to put up more of these fights and game quality against the best players. On a good day, Victoria still has the tennis to beat anyone.
4) She Has Won the Tournament Back-to-Back
Since 2000 only three players have managed to win the Australian Open as defending champion. Jennifer Capriati achieved the feat in 2001-02, Serena Williams did it in 2009-10 and Victoria won back-to-back in 2012-13. Others who have managed to confirm the tile at the Aussie Open? Seles, Hingis and Graf.
Clearly Victoria has a good time playing in Australia and manages to find her best tennis under the heat and the tough conditions of Melbourne Park.
5) She Will Have No Pressure
Serena returning after her stop following the shocking defeat to Vinci at the US Open. Sharapova finding her best tennis at the end of the season despite the injury and ready to start the new season on a roll. Simona Halep finally able to give her best in the major tournaments. Garbine Muguruza ready to follow the Wimbledon runner-up performance.
These are the main story lines for the 2016 Australian Open. That means Victoria will not feature in the poll of top favourites, nor she will be considered the top contender for the title. That means that away from the spotlight Victoria will have no pressure to deal with. Most importantly, being ranked outside the top 16, she could be meeting a top seed as early as the third round in Melbourne, which means she could use the lack of pressure to cause an upset early on.
Would you bet on Victoria Azarenka to win in Melbourne?
