Tearful former champ Azarenka determined to end slump

MELBOURNE: A despondent Victoria Azarenka has vowed to fight her way out of a career-threatening slump and recapture the form that delivered her two Australian Open titles.The former world number one was dumped from the season-opening Grand Slam in a gut-wrenching loss to little-known German Laura Siegemund late Tuesday after throwing away a one-set lead.Azarenka, 29, wiped away tears as she contemplated the tough battle ahead to return to the top after tumbling down the rankings following the birth of son Leo and a messy custody battle afterwards."I´ve had injuries before but I´ve never had slumps before in terms of results," said the Belarusian, who is currently ranked 58 in the world."It´s not easy to sit here and be positive but I don´t have a choice."Azarenka said she maintained a burning ambition to return to the game´s elite and believed hard work was the only way to get there.But the frustrated former star was at a loss to explain the 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-2 loss to Siegmund, her worst performance at Melbourne Park since a first-round exit on her debut in 2006."It was very obvious that my game was not there," she said."It´s not going to stop me, after today. No matter how much it hurts, I have to learn from it. I´ve never really learned how to struggle before so maybe it´s a lesson, but it´s disappointing."She won the title in 2012 and 2013, but missed the last two tournaments because of giving birth and the custody battle.

from The News International - Sports http://bit.ly/2DbWcXp