Victoria Azarenka has admitted that winning the Australian Open on Saturday was ‘a dream come true’.
The 22-year-old from Belarus was appearing in her first Grand Slam final at the Rod Laver Arena, but showed few signs of inexperience as she overcame one or two early nerves to rout three-time Slam winner Maria Sharapova 6-3 6-0 in the deciding match.
Azarenka completed the win, that also saw her replace Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki as world number one, in under an hour and a half, and afterwards was full of tributes for all those close to her.
"I would like to thank my team," the Minsk native said in front of the media after her win.
“You guys have supported me for so long. You believed in me, made me realise I can believe in myself and that I can finally raise this trophy.
"I have loved coming back every year since I was a junior. I cannot wait to be back next year. I have had an amazing month in Australia, and it is a dream come true."
Sharapova, a beaten finalist as she was at Wimbledon in 2011, was gracious in defeat, but also echoed her determination to come back and try again to win a Grand Slam event that means so much to her.
The Russian said: "Congratulations to Victoria. You have earned this title. You have worked so hard for it over the years.
"It is a real honour to have your name on the trophy. Congratulations, and cherish it for as long as you can.
"As in any sport you have your good days and your tough days, where things just don't work out. Today, Victoria was better on so many levels.
"It has been a few years since I have stood here on this stage. I have had the great moments and the tough losses, and this was another one.
"But there is no doubt that I will be back, and performing in front of you guys again."