It's a special moment when you walk back as defending champion on that court, throw those balls up for the first point.
Speaking about the spotlight and the expectations that attended her as defending champion, Azarenka said she enjoys pressure, and uses it to her advantage.
"It's very meaningful to come back as defending champion, " she said.
Speaking about the spotlight and the expectations that attended her as defending champion, Ms. Azarenka said she enjoys pressure, and uses it to her advantage.
The women's tournament is also packed with top names, as defending champion Williams seeks to protect her No. 1 ranking from the challenge of in-form Maria Sharapova -- who will go top if she wins the title.
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Henman's Hill, sometimes dubbed Rusedski Ridge, became Hewitt Hill on Monday as the defending champion walked out to open play on Centre Court.
The new-look McLaren MP4-19 was slightly off the pace as defending Australian Grand Prix champion Coulthard was almost 1.5 seconds off the lead.
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They have played each other the last few years, but not ranked number one and number two, with Texas the defending champion, and Ohio State, the team many people think will succeed it as champion.
He will start his 53rd grand slam tournament against 46th-ranked Frenchman Benoit Paire, and as second seed he cannot meet two-time defending champion Djokovic until the final.
One of them, defending-champion Connecticut, did not emerge as a powerhouse until the 1990s and has dominated ever since.
He edged inside the time set by Kostelic, then watched as a succession of challengers, including two-time defending champion Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway, ski out in trying to match his time.
Both Williams sisters won two matches on Friday to set up their first meeting since 2009, but it was defending champion Serena who looked the least affected as she won 6-1 6-2 in just 54 minutes.
Ironically, defending champion Mickelson missed 12 chances to replace Woods as number one this year.
Defending SAP Open champion Milos Raonic beat his predecessor as ATP Newcomer of the Year, Tobias Kamke of Germany, to reach the quarterfinals.
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Defending champion Frederick Jacobson was also out of sorts as he dropped three shots in his first four holes, including a double bogey.
World number two Phil Mickelson saw his own hopes evaporate as a dire finish dropped him to one over, while defending champion Stewart Cink finished on the same score.
Meanwhile, Aussie battler Lleyton Hewitt is out on Court Five and clearly means business as he prepares for his final-four clash with the defending champion Roger Federer - he has already put on his trademark back-to-front white baseball cap and is scampering around as though there is no tomorrow.
Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska also had trouble making it through as the fourth seed recovered from losing the first set before seeing off the challenge of rising talent Sloane Stephens with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 win.
Defending champion Lee Westwood shared third place with Alvaro Quiros to remain as world number one.
Earlier on Friday, defending champion Venus Williams cruised into the final of the Dubai Open as she ended the surprise run of Shahar Peer with a 6-1 6-4 win in the semifinals.
Defending champion Djokovic was knocked out in the fourth round by Tommy Haas as the German became just the second player to defeat the Serbian in an ATP Tour event.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic continued his march to yet another semifinal against Federer as he secured his third-round place with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over 20-year-old American Ryan Harrison that finished as the evening light waned.
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In the women's singles Svetlana Kuznetsova is the defending champion but faces stiff competition in the face of the Williams sisters, as well as four-time French Open champion Justine Henin, who is competing for the first time since coming out of retirement.
Defending motorcycle champion Marc Coma sealed the 20th stage win of his Dakar Rally career as rival Cyril Despres got stuck in the mud.
Meanwhile, defending men's champion Andy Murray reached the final of the ATP event in Brisbane as semifinal opponent Kei Nishikori of Japan pulled out injured in the second set.
As for Williams, she still has a chance of reclaiming the World No. 1 ranking if defending champion Azarenka doesn't retain her title or if Maria Sharapova loses her semifinal against Li Na.
The 165-pound Dake beat defending champion David Taylor of Penn State 5-4, joining Cael Sanderson and Pat Smith as four-time NCAA champions.
In the second set, Gasquet disrupted the Czech's rhythm as he failed to reproduce the form that ousted French Open winner Rafael Nadal, the defending Canada Masters Series champion, in the previous round.
Defending champion Victoria Azarenka and third-ranked Serena Williams will be among Sharapova's main opposition as she seeks to win her fifth grand slam title, having completed the set at last year's French Open.
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