"Canada refusing visas to certain nationalities, textbook racism" - Tennis fans react to Victoria Azarenka's visa not being approved for the 2022 Canadian Open

Former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka was forced to withdraw from the 2022 Canadian Open yesterday due to her visa not getting approved.

This seems to be a case of history repeating itself as the 20th-ranked Belarusian also missed the Wimbledon Championships in June. That was a result of the ban on Russian and Belarusian players in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Victoria Azarenka took to Twitter to share the heartbreaking news with her fans, revealing that she wouldn't be able to partake in her 11th Canadian Open due to circumstances outside her control. However, she did not specify why the visa was rejected.

"Hello everyone! I wanted to inform you that I unfortunately have to withdraw from the tournament in Toronto due to my visa not being approved, " Victoria Azarenka wrote.

While she claimed it was "terrible" that she couldn't participate in one of her favorite tournaments, Azarenka assured her supporters that she would compete in the Cincinnati Open, which takes place the following week.

"Its truly disappointing. It's very sad to miss one of my favourite tournaments. I love to play in Canada with great fans and a place where I made many friends over the years. Good luck to everyone at the event. See you in Cincinnati, " she added.

Tennis fans soon took to Twitter to express their opinion on the matter, with most taking a jab at Canada for banning players from entering the country. One fan straight up bashed the Canadian government and labeled the whole incident as "textbook racism" by posting:

"Canada refusing visas to certain nationalities - text book racism."

Another took a shot at Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for not approving the 33-year-old's visa, referring to his regime as a "dictatorship." The tweed read:

"Trudeau's Canada is now banning innocent people from entering the country. It's a dictatorship."

Another fan, however, appeared to throw shade at Victoria Azarenka by highlighting her mid-match withdrawal from her Miami Open match against 16-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova, commenting:

"Better than her usual withdraw mid match whenever she is losing to a lesser player. Biggest crybaby alive."

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

---

"People missed a big opportunity to show how sports can unite" - Victoria Azarenka on Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players

Victoria Azarenka recently spoke about the Wimbledon ban on Russian and Belarusian players

During the Citi Open earlier this month, Victoria Azarenka criticized the ban that prevented Russian and Belarusian players from competing at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.

Speaking in a recent interview with Tennis.com, the Belarusian opined that Wimbledon had missed the chance to display the sport's togetherness. She did, however, express hope that another opportunity would arise in the future to do things differently.

"I’m on the Player Council, so I can’t completely cut myself off, "Azarenka said. "I take that part of my job very seriously. I think what people missed here was a big opportunity to show how sports can unite. I think we missed that opportunity, but I hope we can still show it."

Azarenka also talked about how her attempt to resolve the matter was ignored, remarking that the concerned authorities were ignorant and careless and that they brushed off her solutions without any serious discussion.

"How did I deal with it? I always try to find a solution that is beyond myself and what can be better because I love to help people, " Victoria Azarenka said. "I love to find solutions from difficult situations. I think what was hard was the absolute ignorance and carelessness from the other parties."

"I think that was a tough part to digest, because you’re coming in with options, opportunities and your heart, and it’s met with basically a ‘we don’t care, " she added.