Victoria Azarenka admitted she “shouldn’t have gone on the court” on Sunday after she retired midway through her match against Linda Fruhvirtova at the
Miami Open.
Just under a fortnight after she posted an emotional message following her exit from the Indian Wells Masters, the former world No 1 returned to action in Florida. Azarenka, who is playing under a neutral flag due to Belarus’
involvement in Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, won a three-setter
against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round to set up a clash
against 16-year-old Fruhvirtova.
The wildcard from the Czech Republic dominated as she was leading 6-2, 3-0 when the two-time Grand Slam winner retired. Following her Florida exit, she revealed that she was not in a good space and should not have played:
“I shouldn’t have gone on the court today. The last few weeks have been extremely stressful in my personal
life. 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.”
She added:
“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 today, 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.”