“Don’t Want To Speak On Her”: Victoria Azarenka Shuts Down Reporter on Serena Williams Question

Today, the French Open 2020 saw two dominant athletes exit the tournament. Serena Williams announced that she is withdrawing from her event, while Victoria Azarenka suffered a shock defeat at the hands of World No.161, Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova. During Azarenka’s post-game presser, a question about Serena infuriated the Belarusian! 

Now, what could it be? Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams are familiar foes who share immense respect for each other. Their most recent meeting came at the semi-finals of the 2020 US Open, a match which Azarenka won. 

However, Serena was allegedly battling a heel injury during the US Open semi-final which limited her performance. This Achilles injury has now aggravated to a point where Serena is struggling to walk. Now, if she played her US Open game with a serious heel condition, how aware was her opponent about Serena’s condition? 

Victoria Azarenka responds to a reporter who questioned her awareness about Serena’s injury

How much do you think players peep into their opponent’s routine during a match? Professional athletes are all about preparing themselves mentally when they’re out on the court. When Azarenka played Serena in the semi-final game at Flushing Meadows, she really didn’t pay much attention to the latter’s struggles. 

Days after the incident happened, a reporter brought it up at Roland Garros. It was in relation to Serena’s exit earlier in the day, but it was directed to Azarenka when she had just faced a shocking defeat. 

“Well when I was down 1-6, I didn’t really feel like there was anything wrong. I felt that the match was close and I don’t think a player really watches the other player. I do think we turn around and try to take care of your own business,” Azarenka responded. 

Furthermore, it seemed like she was really upset with the reporter. The Belarusian was unhappy with the question and kept her answer brief. “I don’t know. I don’t want to speak on her. It’s not my…I’m not going to do that. I don’t like to do that and I’m not going to talk about it.”

After what seemed like Victoria Azarenka’s resurgence, the former World No.1 has fallen short at Roland Garros. With this defeat, Azarenka has now crashed out of Roland Garros in the second round in back-to-back years.