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Victoria Azarenka has been forced to withdraw from Montreal after reinjuring a lingering injury that has been bothering her for some time. On Tuesday night, Azarenka was scheduled to meet Sloane Stephens in the Montreal second round.
That match was expected to be one of the best of the Montreal second-round action. "Dear fans, I am sorry to say, but I have unfortunate news that during my warm up for tonight’s match, I re-injured a lingering injury that I thought was resolved and need to withdraw from the match.
Wishing the event all the best success and good luck to Sloane for the rest of the tournament. I love Montreal and I look forward to coming back!" Azarenka announced on X.
Dear fans, I am sorry to say, but I have unfortunate news that during my warm up for tonight’s match, I re-injured a lingering injury that I thought was resolved and need to withdraw from the match.
Wishing the event all the best success and good luck to Sloane for the rest of… — victoria azarenka (@vika7) August 9, 2023
Azarenka made a strong start in Montreal before suffering a setback
In the Montreal first round, Azarenka delivered a brutal performance as she ousted Magda Linette 6-3 6-0.
But after a very strong in Montreal, Azarenka suffered a setback and wasn't able to continue her campaign at the tournament. After her opening win in Montreal, Azarenka was again asked about the no-handshake that has been going on between Ukrainian and Russian/Belarusian players.
"So tired of talking about this. So I would hope that finally maybe the statement will be stop talking about this. I feel like the very clear message is a personal choice of Ukrainian athletes to do that. That's not the standard practice.
That's not something I would be doing, but I'm not in a position to judge. I respect somebody's decision, but it is not -- yeah, I don't think it's a standard practice in sports. And as I said I don't know how many times now, I will respect and accept the choice of the other player," Azarenka said in Montreal. It remains to be seen if Azarenka will be ready to play at next week's WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati.