Miami Open star cries in agony after freak injury as opponent comes to her aid | Tennis | Sport

Victoria Azarenka was forced to retire from her second-round match in Miami after suffering a freak injury at the beginning of the second set. The three-time former champion cried out in pain and dropped her racket before being treated by the physio on the spot.

Azarenka couldn’t continue and was forced to retire with a shoulder injury while trailing Karolina Muchova 6-0. No. 15 seed Muchova quickly came to her assistance, carrying Azarenka’s bags off the court for her.

Former world No. 1 Azarenka got off to a tough start against Muchova, getting bagelled in the first set. The Belarusian had already started struggling physically and called the physio multiple times.

But things went from bad to worse with Muchova serving in the first game of the second set. At 40-40, Azarenka suddenly dropped her racket and went to the back of the court, where she appeared to be crying.

The physio rushed over again, and Azarenka was given a chair on the court to be treated instead of returning to her bench. Muchova soon joined them, checking in on her opponent.

But world No. 32 couldn’t continue, and she officially retired from the match.

Muchova is no stranger to injury setbacks herself and she stepped in to help Azarenka, carrying her tennis bag off the court and onto the golf buggy that drove the players back to the locker room.

It’s a heartbreaking way to exit the tournament for Azarenka, who got off to a strong start in the first round against Anhelina Kalinina, winning 6-3 6-1 on Wednesday.

After the match, the 35-year-old was joined on the court by a special guest – her son, Leo. He signed the camera lens on his mum’s behalf, writing: “Hello world.”

Leo also took to the court after Azarenka’s first-round win in Indian Wells earlier this month and took part in the post-match interview, grading her performance. “3.5 minus returning her serve,” he smiled, adding that the score was “out of four”.

Azarenka’s ranking is set to take a hit following her heartbreaking retirement in Miami. The Belarusian went on an incredible run to the semi-final last year, beating two seeded players in Qinwen Zheng and Katie Boulter

But by ending her run in round two, she will lose more than 300 ranking points and could drop out of the top 50.

The former champion’s retirement means Muchova advances to the third round. She will now play either Belinda Bencic or 22nd seed Elina Svitolina.