Victoria Azarenka has been forced to abandon the WTA 100 in Toronto after being denied a visa to enter Canada. The former world n.1 posted on Twitter (today n.20) and was added to the scoreboard following the match: “Hello everyone. I just wanted to inform you that unfortunately I have been forced to withdraw from the Toronto tournament as my visa was not approved. Really disappointing. It’s sad to lose my favorite series. I want to play in Canada in front of an audience of real fans and a place where I have made so many friends over the years. Congratulations to all the contestants. See you in Cincinnati.”
Update… pic.twitter.com/2X7kmsAqt3
— Victoria Azarenka (@Vika7) August 7, 2022
The news was confirmed by Tennis Canada organizers in an official statement: “Tennis Canada confirms that Victoria Azareka was unable to obtain a visa in time to participate in the tournament. The Federation worked with the Vika team to facilitate the process by doing everything possible, but the time required was too long. We wish Vika the best of luck in her next tournament in the US and we hope to see her playing in Canada next year.
And according to the organizers, there will be no connection between Azarenka’s Belarusian nationality and the visa refusal but only bureaucratic problems. In the main draw, with regular visas, Daria Kasatkina, Arina Sabalenka and Veronika Gutermedova.
On the other hand, the same fate as Azarenka befell Egyptian Mayer Sherif, who was originally in the group but was forced to drop out and was replaced by a lucky loser.
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