Azarenka’s coach says media got too crazy

Written by: Staff on 29th January 2013

Azarenka’s coach says media got too crazy

epa03556700 Victoria Azarenka waves to the crowd fter winning the women's final between Li Na of China and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 26 January 2013. Azarenka won in three sets. EPA/Barbara Walton |

Victoria Azarenka’s ability to set herself straight emotionally after enduring 48 hours of criticism for taking a medical timeout up 5-4 in the second set of her 6-1, 6-4 semifinal victory over Sloane Stephens keyed her Australian Open title run, her coach said.

Sam Sumyk, who has been by the Belarussian’s side since for a little more than three years, was none too pleased with how some broadcasters and print and internet media laid into his student, calling a group of reporters “sharks” after she beat Li Na for the title.

But he didn’t have any serious doubts that Azarenka could right herself by the final.

“Certain people got completely crazy about it,” Sumyk said of the media. “She knew about it because she spent her whole day [on Friday] to go media to another one to justify a little bit, to try to talk about it in the most honest way. So even if she doesn’t read whatsoever she kind of knew that. That’s not the way you want to spend the day before a final. That’s not the ideal situation. But hey we’ve got to face it. I know she’s solid. There’s no question about it. I didn’t need to go through those last couple of days to know that Victoria is mentally very, very solid.”

Sumyk did have a sit down with Azarenka, but also made sure that she went through her gym and practice routines. She did not expect to get a warm reception when she went on court for the final – which she didn’t, but later said it was not as bad as she thought – but Sumyk said that because she honesty answered questions as to why she called a medical timeout just after she had blown five match points against Stephens, she wasn’t as wound up as she might have been.

“Athletes try to hide it, try to not show it, try to obviously not say it especially in front of everybody,” he said. “That stays a little bit in the team, or the player and the coach, whatever. But she just expressed that she got emotional, got nervous, and stuff like that. Nothing wrong with that, honestly. I think it’s a lot of courage to say it.”

The French coach is married to the former player Melien Tu, who is Azarenka’s manager for Lagardere, which represents her. Her agent, John Tobias and her newly hired press officer Benito Perez-Barbadillo have worked hard to rehabilitate her image, so there was concern when Sumyk laid into the media pretty hard.

“When you’re after something, your story, when there is no story, you’re pretty good, so it’s tough,” he said. “Everybody has to handle it the best way possible. I understand you have to do your job, but sometimes you can maybe do it a little bit more … I don’t have the right word, I don’t want to be mean. She’s 23-years-old, guys, come on … I think the journalists should take some lessons out of this – not necessarily the athletes. Let’s try to be fair here, let’s try to say everybody should take a good lesson out of it.”

©Daily tennis news wire

Topics: Australian Open, Li Na, Melien Tu, Sloane Stephens, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, Victoria Azarenka