When it’s not the physical that lets go, it’s sometimes the mind that plays tricks on athletes. During the round of 16 of the women’s draw, Victoria Azarenka decided to give up because she couldn’t play properly. Opposed to a young opponent of 16 years and largely dominated, she ended her match prematurely, arousing strong criticism. Finalist at Roland-Garros in 2020, Sofia Kenin did not provide details as to the reasons for her withdrawal from the tournament, but observers recall that the American champion had already had all the trouble in the world to find her feet during the recent tournament. of Indian Wells. An appointment in which she had taken part, but during which she committed no less than 73 unforced errors, a rare clumsiness at the highest level.
In the men’s draw, the very promising Italian Jannik Sinner also said “stop”, betrayed by pain in his feet. “I had blisters and I couldn’t move. I started to feel them yesterday, during the last match”does he have entrusts when he leaves the court. On the sidelines of the tournament, note that no athlete mentioned vaccination as the cause of his poor form or his inability to play. The specialized press evokes a very busy start to the year on the circuit, with an intense series of tournaments. Miami’s humid climate, meanwhile, may have acted as an aggravating factor. Polish world number 1 Iga Swiatek has also indicated that she will not line up in Charleston (United States) this week, after having played a “marathon” of three tournaments. Tired, she prefers to preserve herself and observe a time of rest.
Note that while it is rare to record so many withdrawals during the same tournament, this is not an isolated case in the recent history of tennis. In 2013, long before the Covid-19 epidemic, the Wimbledon Grand Slam was the scene of a surprising series of forfeits. On the 3rd day alone, no less than 7 players had thrown in the towel, “victims of bad luck”as Eurosport summed it up at the time.
