Madrid Open Turns Unfortunate for 34-YO WTA Legend Who Caused Huge Stir Last Year With Her Remarks

Madrid Open’s clay courts have not been kind to Victoria Azarenka for the second year in a row now. The Belarusian, who was involved in a controversy last year, has already exited the tournament this year as well. And through a heartbreaking caption, she put up an Instagram story, sharing her health update with fans.

The former world number one, Azarenka, has recently faced a second-round defeat against Sara Sorribes Tormo. However, this is not the first time that she faced difficulties in Madrid. Last year, the doubles winner of the tournament suffered from a groin injury and had to withdraw from the Round of 64 against Alycia Parks. Therefore, referring to this unlucky streak on the clay court of the Madrid Open, Azarenka posted an Instagram story, with a picture of herself captioning it “Not getting much luck in Madrid. Getting sick second year in a row.”

In the post, she is wearing a hoodie, with sunglasses on and a cup in front of her. Although not much is known about her sickness as of now, fans are disappointed to see her leave the tournament. She had a great start to the tournament by clinching her 200th WTA 1000 victory. But she was not able to continue her streak of wins.

Even last year, apart from the injury, Azarenka faced a hard time on court. During last year’s Madrid Open, Azarenka and her doubles partner, Beatriz Haddad Maia, were not allowed to give their victory speeches—an act she called “unacceptable.”

This then prompted a public apology from the tournament organizers and received a lot of backlash from the audience as well. However, this year, her frustration during her last match also raised eyebrows in the tennis community.

Victoria Azarenka’s frustration with her opponent at the Madrid Open

Victoria Azarenka’s opening match victory in the Madrid Open was remarkable. However, the Belarusian struggled to maintain the same consistency in her next match, which ended with a score of 7-6, 6-3, not only testing her physical prowess on court but also her patience. During the second set of the game, a frustrated Azarenka even faced a plea to the chair umpire. The reason was clear.

According to her, there were extensive breaks in between every point that her opponent was taking. As the match dragged on for over two hours, fans noticed how she struggled to cope with the stress, but the supervisor ignored her plea. However, soon the match ended, with Vika exiting the tournament for this season. However, as she moves forward in the season, fans are hopeful to see the 34-year-old back in her form soon!