"I have unfortunate news, I re-injured a lingering injury that I thought was resolved" - Victoria Azarenka withdraws from 2023 Canadian Open

Victoria Azarenka has announced her withdrawal from the 2023 Canadian Open due to injury.

Azarenka was scheduled to square off against Sloane Stephens in the second round in Montreal on Tuesday, August 8. As she began warming up before the match, she re-injured a lingering injury, one she thought was already resolved.

The Belarusian later took to social media to inform her fans that she was pulling out of the event.

"Dear fans, I am sorry to say, but I have unfortunate news that during my warm up for tonight’s match, I re-injured a lingering injury that I thought was resolved and need to withdraw from the match," she said.

Having given Stephens a walkover, the World No. 19 wished the American well at the tournament and hoped to return to Montreal in the future.

"Wishing the event all the best success and good luck to Sloane for the rest of the tournament. I love Montreal and I look forward to coming back!" she added.

Earlier, in the first round at the Canadian Open, Azarenka had defeated 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Magda Linette in straight sets. While the match was twice halted by rain and took nearly five hours to complete, the former World No. 1 remained unfazed. She won 80% first-serve points and broke serve six times to emerge victorious by a 6-3, 6-0 scoreline.

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Victoria Azarenka set WTA 1000 record at 2023 Canadian Open

Victoria Azarenka at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

While Victoria Azarenka's 2023 Canadian Open campaign was a short-lived one, she did manage to make an impact before her injury-forced withdrawal.

With the defeat of Magda Linette in the first round, she picked up her 187th win in WTA 1000 tournaments since the format was introduced in 2009, breaking the record for most won held by former World No. 1 Simona Halep (186).

When asked about her record in WTA 1000 events at a press conference in Montreal after her win, Azarenka stated that it indicates her love for playing on the big stages.

"Oh, yeah? Wow! Well, I think that stat clearly says that I love to play big events. You know, even with Grand Slams in Australia I think I reached 150 matches or something like that. So I do love a big stage," she expressed.

Azarenka has clinched ten WTA 1000 titles to date, with her first victory coming at the 2009 Miami Open and her most recent one at the 2020 Cincinnati Open.