Australian Open 2012: Victoria Azarenka's Win Exposes New Face of Women's Tennis

While Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and all of the rest of the women try to figure out what went wrong, 22-year-old Victoria Azarenka is walking away from the 2012 Australian Open with her first Grand Slam win.

And the World’s No. 1 ranking.

After beating Sharapova in a final that wasn’t nearly as tough as most experts claimed it would be, Azarenka proved to the casual fans of the sport that the next wave of women coming up now is as dominant, if not more dominant, than anything we have seen over the last 25 years.

Many people may see this win as a surprise, but anyone that has followed tennis knows that this Grand Slam win has been a long time coming.

Azarenka told the Melbourne Herald-Sun following her victory at the 2012 Aussie Open:

"

Wow. I would like to thank my team - you guys have been supporting me for so long and believing in me, and it made me realize that I can believe in myself and I can finally raise this trophy. I want to thank my parents, who are watching for sure now, my friends, my boyfriend and my grandmother, the person who inspires me the most in my life.  I had an amazing month in Australia and it's a dream come true.

"

After destroying Sharapova in true Serena Williams fashion, Azarenka proved that her success as a youngster was not just a fluke and that she has deserved every honor she was awarded. This young star has a bright future and it starts now.

The new world’s No.1 now will have to play with the target on her back going into the next tournament. It is always interesting to see how a young player in any sport handles the newly crowned top spot.

While there is a chance that she folds under the pressure, years of playing at an elite level will give Azarenka the wherewithal to pull through and remain the No. 1 for a long time.

The reign of Azarenka has begun! Sounds like a Disney movie, right?

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