Back in Brisbane for the first time since claiming her first tour title at the inaugural tournament in 2009, defending Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka will be looking to create more memorable moments on Aussie soil.
“It’s been a while since I came to Brisbane, I have very good memories from here. It’s always good to be back in this part of the world and I can’t wait to start the tournament,” she said.
The top-seeded Belarusian returns to the Queensland capital after a stellar 2012, which saw her claim a total of six WTA titles, including a maiden Grand Slam title, en route to a rise to the top of the world rankings.
While her “priority is always tennis”, Azarenka is learning to enjoy the many off-court commitments that come hand-in-hand with being No.1.
“There’s more attention, there is more activities for me to do but it comes with the job. I’m really glad to have that opportunity to do all those activities,” she said.
“Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. You have to always think about … being a good role model to the fans and giving people a little part of you. It can be tiring … but I’m really blessed to have that opportunity.”
Having only arrived in Australia on Sunday, Azarenka will have to quickly acclimatise ahead of her opening match against Germany’s Sabine Lisicki.
After that though, she refuses to speculate about any potential match-ups.
A quarterfinal showdown with Danish eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki is the most likely scenario.
“You don’t want to think too much ahead, so right now I just take it day by day,” she said.
Assessing the strength of the Brisbane International and the game in general, Azarenka said women’s tennis had never been in a stronger position.
“We have a lot of girls who, on any given day can win the title. I think that’s very exciting for the public to see. It’s exciting for us players, it gives us extra motivation. So for me personally I have a lot of excitement for women’s competition,” she said.
And, after a four-year absence, Brisbane International fans will be equally as eager to see Azarenka in action.