Victoria Azarenka may have won today’s Australian Open semifinal match against Sloane Stephens – but many in the tennis world are calling the top-ranked player a giant loser. Here’s why: Victoria Azarenka Interview Up 6-1, 5-4, Azarenka was clearly out of sorts in the second set, screaming when she missed shots and slamming balls in anger when she lost games. Then, with Stephens set to serve in order to stay alive, Azarenka (who had lost five match points already) left the court for an injury timeout. She returned 10 minutes later and finished off her opponent, but later seemed to admit in an interview that she needed the aforementioned break simply to calm her nerves. “I couldn’t breathe, you know,’’ Azarenka said on court after the win. “That game, you know, I just had chest pain, like getting a heart attack or something out there. I just needed to make sure it’s okay cause I really couldn’t breathe.’’ Among others, ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe was NOT happy with this explanation, with a player exiting the court simply because her game was falling apart. “This injury timeout rule needs to be thoroughly re-examined,” McEnroe said. “Leaving the court for any amount of time because of nerves is unacceptable.” What do you think of Azarenka’s actions? They were… Totally within the rules! Totally lame! View Poll »
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Victoria Azarenka: Under Fire for Australian Open Timeout Against Sloane Stephens
