Victoria Azarenka forced to retire during Dubai match against Elena Rybakina as injuries plague WTA’s 2024 season

Victoria Azarenka becomes the next player to retire mid-match after facing an injury scare.

Victoria Azarenka forced to retire during Dubai match against Elena Rybakina as injuries plague WTA’s 2024 season

Victoria Azarenka (Via Imago)

2024 brought with it many comebacks on the Tour. A whole list of players were restarting their Tour in 2024. However, with that, there came a plague of match walkthroughs as more and more players added their names to the list. 

Victoria Azarenka, a known face in the WTA, was the latest addition to the list after she retired mid-match against Elena Rybakina at the Dubai International Championships. The Russian was on a good run from the last few tournaments. 

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Even against Rybakina, she had the first set to her name, leading 6-4. But Rybakina staged a great comeback, winning the second set 6-2. During the set, Azarenka was seen struggling, and just before the start of the last set, she called for a medical timeout before deciding to withdraw. 

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A great match ended with Rybakina getting a walkover. With this, she moves on to the round of 16 and is one step closer to another final in the Middle East.

This marked another player’s exit from the tournament. Earlier, Paula Badosa also had to retire mid-match due to an injury, continuing the plague of injuries this year. 

Victoria Azarenka had to press pause on her decent 2024 run as she faced an injury scare

Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Grand Slam winner, returned on Tour after a couple of months with a fresh mindset. 

Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka (Via Imago)

Starting at Brisbane International, the Russian went to the semi-finals, which gave her enough firepower to go to the fourth round at the Australian Open. Following that, she had another wonderful run at the Qatar Open, losing to Iga Swiatek in the semis. A tournament win was in line for the 34-year-old, who unfortunately faced a small setback on the court. 

There is no other information on the injury scare, as the Russian is yet to open up about her walkover. This continues the injury-ridden WTA list, where multiple players are facing small setbacks in between matches.

First, it was Jessica Pegula, who faced a small setback after the Australian Open, followed by Karolina Muchova, and recently Paula Badosa.

However, the tour still moves on as they await the return of these players. Now, the Dubai Championship continues with the other top stars still in the mix and fighting to end their Middle Eastern campaign on a high note. 

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