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Fans were shocked on Sunday when former world No. 1 tennis player Victoria Azarenka bolted her third-round Miami Open match halfway through with no explanation.
Competing against 16-year-old Czech player Linda Fruhvirtova, Azarenka stormed off the court in the second set as the teenager led 6-2, 3-0.
The Belarusian No. 16 player shook Fruhvirtova and the umpire’s hand and simply left the court, as the ump called after her, “Vika we need to wait.”
Azarenka released a statement that vaguely explained her reasoning.
“I shouldn’t have gone on the court today. The last few weeks have been extremely stressful in my personal life,” the statement said.
“Last match took so much out of me, but I wanted to play in front of a great audience as they helped me pull through my first match. I wanted to go out there and try but it was a mistake. I hope to take a break and be able to come back.
“I’m sorry to the fans for what happened as you were great to cheer for me. It was the only reason I decided to step on the court. I always look forward to the challenge and pressure of competition but to day it was too much. I have to and will learn from this.
“I would like to congratulate my opponent and wish her best of luck in this tournament and beginning of her professional career.”
Azarenka’s departure forced the umpire to call the match in Fruhvirtova’s favor. While confused about the situation, Fruhvirtova only had praise for the 32-year-old.
“I don’t know what happened at the end,” Fruhvirtova said, per AFP. “She was struggling with some injuries. I don’t know but it was an honor to share the court with her.
“You never want to end the match this way but it happens. We shook hands and then she walked off.”
Azarenka’s actions caused her to receive scorn from fans and former players. Daniela Hantuchova, the former fifth-ranked player in the world, blasted Azarenka and asked for the WTA to investigate what had occurred.
“The most disrespectful thing about this is how she walked off the court without really giving a reason (for retiring),” Hantuchova said. “I think the WTA will really have to look into this.
“This one for me is really bizarre and really disrespectful to the crowd, to the umpire and most importantly to Linda (Fruhvirtova). I think Vika (Azarenka) just knows if she kept going this way she would be off the court anyway very shortly. But just the way she’s done it, it’s not nice behavior.”
The First Serve Tennis account tweeted similar sentiments to Hantuchova writing, “This is really disappointing from Azarenka. Leaves the court out of nowhere, no explanation. She was being outplayed by Fruhvirtova, and the young Czech deserved more respect and the right to win that match on her own terms.”
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