Azarenka and Sharapova both in doubt for start of U.S. Open tamers

World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka is facing a race against time to be fit for the U.S. Open after succumbing to the frenetic schedule of women's tennis.

The Belorussian was forced to withdraw from the Montreal Cup with an injury to her left knee midway through the first set of her opening match against Tamira Paszek on Thursday.

With just 17 days until the start of the competition at Flushing Meadows, the Australian Open champion's hopes of adding to her sole grand slam triumph look slim.



https://cde.instructure.com/eportfolios/280566/Home/ZipDownloadMp3_The_Dubliners_Together_Again_Album_Download
https://cde.instructure.com/eportfolios/280565/Home/ZipDownloadMp3_Varios_Artistas_Women_Soldier_Album_Download
https://cde.instructure.com/eportfolios/280564/Home/ZipDownloadMp3_Daniel_Nestlerode_Almost_Home_Album_Download


The 23-year-old reached the semifinals of Wimbledon last month, before going on to compete at the London 2012 Olympics where she won bronze in the singles and gold in the mixed doubles on Sunday.

The workload has taken its toll on Azarenka, who will now also miss next week's Cincinnati Masters event.

'The last week took so much energy out of me that I had absolutely no time to recover, and my body is feeling it,' she told reporters.

'It was a little bit too quick of a transition for me to come and start the training, and I felt my knee just wasn't in good shape.

'It's unfortunate because I was really looking forward to playing here. I have really enjoyed being here. I tried yesterday and today it just got worse. I can't see the point of continuing to play if I can't give even 50% of my game.'

Azarenka, who has never made it past the fourth round at the U.S. Open, said she needs rest and recuperation if she is to line up in New York later this month.

'I hope it's a short-term thing. I have to just stop and take a little bit of time off because I had absolutely no rest for a long period of time. I just need to settle it down and go from there. Hopefully there's nothing serious about it,' she said.

'If I cannot play here, there is no chance for me to play anywhere else. My first goal is to get healthy and make sure I'm 100% ready to play the U.S. Open.'

The hectic schedule claimed another victim when world No. 2 Maria Sharapova also pulled out of the WTA Tour event in Cincinnati.

The French Open champion, who was defeated in the Olympic final by Serena Williams, missed Montreal due to a stomach virus.

The Russian hopes to recover in time for the U.S. Open, which she won in 2006.

The workload has taken its toll on Azarenka, who will now also miss next week's Cincinnati Masters event. 'If I cannot play here, there is no chance for me to play anywhere else. My first goal is to get healthy and make sure I'm 100% ready to play the U.S. Open.' 'It was a little bit too quick of a transition for me to come and start the training, and I felt my knee just wasn't in good shape. With just 17 days until the start of the competition at Flushing Meadows, the Australian Open champion's hopes of adding to her sole grand slam triumph look slim. 'The last week took so much energy out of me that I had absolutely no time to recover, and my body is feeling it,' she told reporters. The French Open champion, who was defeated in the Olympic final by Serena Williams, missed Montreal due to a stomach virus. Azarenka, who has never made it past the fourth round at the U.S. Open, said she needs rest and recuperation if she is to line up in New York later this month. The workload has taken its toll on Azarenka, who will now also miss next week's Cincinnati Masters event. The 23-year-old reached the semifinals of Wimbledon last month, before going on to compete at the London 2012 Olympics where she won bronze in the singles and gold in the mixed doubles on Sunday. The workload has taken its toll on Azarenka, who will now also miss next week's Cincinnati Masters event. 'If I cannot play here, there is no chance for me to play anywhere else. My first goal is to get healthy and make sure I'm 100% ready to play the U.S. Open.' Azarenka, who has never made it past the fourth round at the U.S. Open, said she needs rest and recuperation if she is to line up in New York later this month. World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka is facing a race against time to be fit for the U.S. Open after succumbing to the frenetic schedule of women's tennis. World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka is facing a race against time to be fit for the U.S. Open after succumbing to the frenetic schedule of women's tennis. 'If I cannot play here, there is no chance for me to play anywhere else. My first goal is to get healthy and make sure I'm 100% ready to play the U.S. Open.' The Belorussian was forced to withdraw from the Montreal Cup with an injury to her left knee midway through the first set of her opening match against Tamira Paszek on Thursday. The hectic schedule claimed another victim when world No. 2 Maria Sharapova also pulled out of the WTA Tour event in Cincinnati.

#newsupdatenow