"Now I'm looking where I can ride horses" - Victoria Azarenka on New York stay after R1 win at US Open
Victoria Azarenka shared her interests outside of tennis in the city of New York after she sailed past Fiona Ferro in the opening round of the 2023 US Open on Monday, August 28.
The Frenchwoman used every weapon in her arsenal and engaged her opponent in long rallies, breaking Azarenka's serve twice. However, it was not enough to overcome the World No. 18's power and experience as the Belarusian closed the match 6-1, 6-2 in a little over an hour.
The Tennis Letter shared a clip of Azarenka's on-court interview where she was asked what her favorite thing to do in New York was, outside of tennis.
She replied that she couldn't just name one since she had varied interests but said she was looking for horse riding options.
"It's been different different things. I would go to street art before because I have so many interests outside of the court. Now I'm looking where I can ride horses and I cannot find anywhere in town. Everything is like an hour, hour and a half away," she said.
The 34-year-old added that she liked going to New York's Central Park and enjoyed "simple" things like going on a walk with her son and their dog when at home.
"It's always nice to go to Central Park. It's such a beautiful park, just to walk around. I'm not very complicated. I really love simple things. When I'm home, what makes happiest is taking my dog for a walk with my son riding scooters. I love to just be here and enjoy and what's better than being in New York for the US Open," she added.
Victoria Azarenka to clash with Lin Zhu in R2 of US Open
Victoria Azarenka will square off against Lin Zhu in the second round of the 2023 US Open on Wednesday, August 30.
The three-time US Open finalist has had an average season so far, with a 20-15 win-loss record. Her best result has been reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, where she lost to Elena Rybakina. Since then, Azarenka has not made a deep run in big tournaments.
However, the 36-year-old appeared in fine form on Monday as she registered a dominant victory over her first-round opponent Fiona Ferro.
Lin Zhu will also come into the match with a straight-set victory over World No. 33 Mayar Sherif in her opening round. The win adds to the 29-year-old's confidence, who most recently had a semifinal finish at 'Tennis in the Land' in Cleveland.
With a Thailand Open title under her belt, Zhu's other highlights of the season have been reaching the semifinals of the WTA 250 events in Birmingham and Monterrey.
Victoria Azarenka leads Zhu 1-0 in their head-to-head series.