Victoria Azarenka asked to remove her shirt before the semifinal of the Australian Open
Victoria Azarenka was ordered to remove the top she was wearing in a bizarre scene before her loss in the Australian Open semifinal on Thursday night.
After a nail-biting first set, reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina claimed the tiebreaker and took the match, winning 7-6, 6-3.
Before the match, Azarenka entered Rod Laver Arena wearing a Paris Saint Germain soccer jersey, but was quickly told by referee Alison Hughes to take it off.
The 33-year-old wore the PSG shirt on the pitch before several of their games at Melbourne Park, explaining that she wears it because it is the club her son Leo supports and wants to play one day.
Azarenka had also worn the shirt at the press conferences, but the referee told her to take it off and warm up in the clothes she was going to play.
The two-time Australian Open champion complied with the directive, saying she believed it was a sponsorship issue.
“They told me to take it off twice because I had a different jersey on,” Azarenka said in her post-match press conference. “I think it is the issue of sponsorships. I guess the logos are too big… I know I’m not allowed to play with that. I knew that kind of thing.
“But I can still step on the court where I want to step on the court. I do it for my own reasons. My son wore the white jersey today for his practice and I tried to wear a white jersey for my game but couldn’t. So it’s OK”.
Victoria Azarenka kicks the ball in frustration at the Australian Open.
Elena Rybakina advanced to the final of the Australian Open.
Advertisement
Victoria Azarenka hits a backhand in her Australian Open semifinal.
Advertisement
Azarenka was vying to become the fourth woman to win a Grand Slam after becoming a mother, but she failed to achieve the rare feat.
Saturday’s final will see Rykabina take on Aryna Sabalenka after the Belarusian defeated Poland’s Magda Linette 7-6, 6-2 in the other semifinal.
Azarenka was in no mood for reporters after her straight-set loss.
The veteran was asked a thorny question at her post-match news conference about Russian nationalists staging a rally in support of President Vladimir Putin outside Rod Laver Arena.
Novak Djokovic’s father, Srdan, came to light on Thursday. posed for a photo with members of the group, including a man wearing a T-shirt with the pro-war “Z” symbol on it. The demonstration, which followed Djokovic’s victory over Andrey Rublev on Wednesday night, was a critical point of discussion, however Azarenka, who plays under a neutral flag as a Belarusian player, rejected the series of questions.
by Azarenka exchange with a reporter she turned icy when she said that her answer would probably be “spinned”.
“You’re asking me about things that maybe someone says are in my control, but I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t know what you want me to answer you. If it’s a provocative question, then you can spin the story however you want.”
She said the off-court scandal has nothing to do with the players in the tournament.
“Whatever answer I’m going to give you right now, it’s going to be changed the way you want it to be,” he said. “So it bothers me? What bothers me is that there are real things happening in the world.”