Belarusian former women’s world number one Victoria Azarenka has dropped out of a Ukrainian aid exhibition event scheduled on Wednesday ahead of the US Open.
Azarenka, 33, was set to take part in the ‘Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition’ event until the United States Tennis Association (USTA) backtracked and decided she would not compete, as confirmed in a statement.
“In the last 24 hours, after careful consideration and dialogue with all parties involved, Victoria Azarenka will not be participating in our ‘Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition’ this evening,” the statement began.
“Vika is a strong player leader and we appreciate her willingness to participate. Given the sensitivities to Ukrainian players, and the on-going conflict, we believe this is the right course of action for us.”
Ukrainian players, including Marta Kostyuk, are said to have been unhappy about Azarenka’s participation in the event.
The decision comes after the USTA decided not to ban Russian and Belarusian players…
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