Victoria Azarenka was ordered to take off a shirt she was sporting in a weird scene forward of her Australian Open semi-final loss on Thursday evening.
After an exhilarating first set, reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina clinched the tiebreaker and gained the match 7-6, 6-3.
Earlier than the match, Azarenka walked into the Rod Laver Area sporting a Paris Saint-Germain soccer jersey, however referee Alison Hughes rapidly eliminated it.
The 33-year-old had worn the Paris Saint-Germain shirt on the sphere earlier than a lot of her matches at Melbourne Park, explaining that she wears it as a result of it’s the membership that her son Leo helps and desires to play for at some point.
Azarenka had additionally worn the jersey throughout press conferences, however the referee informed her to take it off and heat up within the uniform she could be enjoying in.
The 2-time Australian Open champion caught to the steering and stated she thought it was a sponsorship concern.
“They requested me to take it off twice as a result of I used to be sporting a special shirt,” Azarenka stated in her post-match press convention. “I feel it is the sponsorship concern. I feel logos are too large… I do know I am not allowed to play in that. I knew that type of factor.
“However I can nonetheless step on the court docket in what I need to step on the court docket. I do it for my very own causes. My son wore a white jersey right now for his observe, and I attempted to put on a white jersey for my match however I could not. In order that’s advantageous.”
Victoria Azarenka hits the ball pissed off on the Australian Open.
Elena Rybakina superior to the ultimate of the Australian Open.
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Victoria Azarenka hits a backhand within the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
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Azarenka was vying to turn out to be the fourth girl to win a Grand Slam event after turning into a mom however fell wanting the uncommon feat.
Saturday’s remaining will witness Rikabena’s confrontation with Arina Sabalenka, after the Belarusian participant defeated Poland’s Magda Linette 7-6, 6-2 within the different semi-final.
Azarenka wasn’t within the temper for reporters after her dropping streak.
The veteran was requested a thorny query in her post-match press convention about Russian nationalists staging an illustration in assist of President Vladimir Putin exterior Rod Laver Area.
On Thursday, Novak Djokovic’s father, Sardan, appeared He posed for a photograph with group members, together with a person sporting a T-shirt with a pro-war “Z” image on it. The demonstration, which adopted Djokovic’s win over Andrey Rublev on Wednesday evening, was an important speaking level, however Azarenka, who performs below a impartial flag as a Belarusian, cleared the strings of questions.
Azarenka Change with one reporter She grew to become listless as she stated her response would possible be “spinning”.
“You ask me about issues that somebody would possibly say are below my management,” she stated, “however I do not consider it.” “I do not know what you need me to reply. If it is a provocative query, then you possibly can write the story nonetheless you want.”
She stated the off-field scandal had nothing to do with the gamers on the event.
‘No matter reply I shall now offer you,’ she stated, ‘will probably be become no matter method you want to flip it.’ “So does that hassle me? What bothers me is that there are actual issues happening on this planet.”