DAVAIII, VIKA OF BELARUS, 2009 S-E OPEN CHAMPION!!!

From CBS's Bill McAtee & chief witch Mary Carillo, but it sounds like verifiable facts that can't be denied and certainly does not support the usual propaganda:

Alla Azarenka, Victoria's mum, once talked about the difficulties of finding coaching in Belarus with the wife of Nikolai Khabibulin (Николай Хабибулин), NHL All-Stars goalie & Olympian. Nikolai is a Russian citizen (began as a Soviet junior & returned to play for Kazan during the NHL lockout) but it seems he had a kid, Sasha, who played tennis at Minsk's Natl. Tennis Center, so he related.

The Khabibulin family invited Victoria to come stay with them in Scottsdale & find coaching--in fact, fronted her the money to come. They've been an extended family for her going on four years, with Nikolai mentoring her & teaching how to compete at the highest levels.

So, she's definitely not some little appropriated emigrée product. [H]

[quote user="paul_pipkin"]Victoria has lived and worked in Scottsdale, Arizona for three years--on the strength of which, Mary Jo Fernandez is already appropriating her as an "American product", although her long-time coach is Portugal's Antonio Van Grichen. [;)] But who can fathom the mind of MJF? Azarenka is East European, in the same sense as Russians. (Belarus is, in fact, old "White Russia".) And her declared friends on the Tour are the three Moscow olimpioniki with whom she now shares the top ten. [H][/quote]

From AP story:

Azarenka, who won her first tour title three months ago at Brisbane, improved to 23-2 this year. She grew up in Minsk and befriended NHL goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, who invited her to the United States to train. She moved to Scottsdale and has lived there with Khabibulin and his wife since 2005.

Azarenka said her title would be big news in Belarus, where the most famous tennis player has been men's doubles specialist Max Mirnyi, who teamed with Andy Ram to win the doubles title Saturday. She was expecting a congratulatory phone call from President Alexander Lukashenko, whom she met when she was in grade school.

``He came to one of the tennis tournaments, and I was presenting flowers to him,'' she said.

Azarenka won $700,000, more than the men's first prize of $605,500. The two tours offer the same total prize money but distribute it differently.

``I can spend it in one day,'' Azarenka said. ``I'm not allowed to drink in the States yet, but I'll definitely go celebrate somewhere.'' [D] [H]

http://www.tennischannel...Details.aspx?newsid=5184

[quote user="mashadabest"]

Holy Cow!!  She thrashed Serena 6-3, 6-1!! [:O]  I so did not see this coming!  WOW!!  A big Congrats to Vika!!  Gosh still in shock!  Great result!!  Well done to her!!! [Y]

^ aww, that's sad news. Hopefully it's not serious like the injury of you know  who.

anyway, just wanted to post this pic, Vika's shoes.

^ aww, that's sad news. Hopefully it's not serious like the injury of you know  who.

anyway, just wanted to post this pic, Vika's shoes.

[/quote]

WOW!!!

I like them, they are unique:-))

[/quote]

Probably just the usual inflammation that besets all heavy-hitters at one time or another. (Good heads-up re physical limits, however.)

Yeah, lol, thanx for the close-up. "Brilliant" coup for a sponsor--has anyone failed to notice Vika's shoes? [8-|]