Azarenka pulls out of Birmingham tourney
BIRMINGHAM, England (AFP) — Victoria Azarenka, the two-time Grand Slam winner who once seemed capable of becoming Serena Williams’s successor, suffered another of a seemingly endless sequence of injuries when she was forced to withdraw from the Birmingham grass court Open.
These have already contributed to a two-year drought of titles, the loss of the number one ranking in 2013, and a fall from the top 10 last year. This latest setback further emphasises the extent of the threat to her career.
Azarenka’s departure after only one match of this high- quality warm-up event weakens her chances at Wimbledon, the grass court Grand Slam, which starts the week after next.
Once again her problem is a left foot injury, one of the ailments which sent her plummeting down the rankings during 2014, and which is proving depressingly difficult to deal with.
“It’s very disappointing for me to make this decision but I tried to practise and it just doesn’t feel one hundred per cent,” Azarenka said through a prepared statement.
“I don’t think it is the right time for me to take a risk right now, especially right before Wimbledon, and I need to make sure I have the best preparation possible.”