Victoria Azarenka has apologised to her fans and opponent after abruptly exiting the court without returning during a match at the Miami Open.
Azerenka, the No.12 seed in the women’s draw, was down 2-6 0-3 against world No.279 Linda Fruhvirtova, when she stormed off the court without shaking the Czech teen’s hand.
Following the match, the two-time Australian Open champ shed some light on the reasons behind her stunning exit.
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“I shouldn’t have gone on the court today,” she told reporters.
“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.”
The 32-year-old indicated that she in intends to take a break away from the game for the time being, before apologising to both her 16-year-old opponent and the fans.
“I’m sorry for the fans for what happened as you were great to cheer for me,” she said. “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.”
Due to her walkover win, Fruhvirtova will face Spanish No.5 seed Paula Badosa in the fourth round of the Miami Open.