After 25 Grand Slam tournaments, Victoria Azarenka is through to her first final. Maria Sharapova, her opponent in today's Australian Open title decider, has been there five times before, and won three.
That's all history from Azarenka's perspective.
"It's no concern for me. I mean, I worked hard to be in this situation, so why stress about it?" Azarenka said Friday of the match that has a Grand Slam title and the No. 1 ranking on the line. "I want it and that's what I'm looking for."
Azarenka and Sharapova are two of the loudest "grunters" in women's tennis. Others refer to it as shrieking, and Azarenka's is more in alto, while Sharapova's is a tad higher on the musical scale.
When the pair last played at Key Biscayne, Fla., last year, Azarenka said she felt her grunt was quieter than Sharapova's.
At Rod Laver Arena this year, fans have started to mimic Azarenka during her matches. Stay tuned for more of the same when the fans hear it from both sides of the court today.
The 22-year-old Azarenka and 24-year-old Sharapova are 3-3 in head-to-head meetings. But Azarenka holds the edge in two finals, having beaten Sharapova in straight sets at Stanford in 2010 and in Florida last year.
Instead of thinking dominance, Azarenka thinks Sharapova might be out for revenge.
"It's very different, you cannot really look back," Azarenka said. "It's always difficult to play somebody you've beaten before. They have extra motivation to beat you."
If Azarenka wins the final, she would be only the third player to rise to No. 1 after her first Grand Slam win. Martina Navratilova did so for the first time after winning Wimbledon in 1978, while Ana Ivanovic did the same after winning the 2008 French Open.
A win by Sharapova would mark the fourth time in her career that she has held the top ranking, the most recent in June 2008. Overall, she has been No. 1 for 17 nonconsecutive weeks.
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