Foot Injury Forces Azarenka Out of Dubai Championships
February 19, 2013 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
Second-ranked Victoria Azarenka has withdrawn from the Dubai Championships due to a bone bruise in her right foot. Azarenka, who was replaced by Serena Williams at the top of the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings on Monday, said she hurt her foot a week ago in Doha, Qatar, en route to the final, where she defeated Serena.
"I have been playing on it a lot over the last five days so going to a new tournament is too much to handle right now," Azarenka said. "It keeps getting worse. It was an unfortunate decision that I had to make, and I’m very disappointed."
Azarenka showed no signs of the injury during her run in Doha, where she successfully defended the title, nor did she mention any foot trouble. She said she will go to the United States to have the injury evaluated ahead of plans to play at the 2013 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. beginning March 4. She is currently on a 12-match winning streak, inclusing capturing the 2013 Australian Open title in Melbourne in January.
