Third-seed Victoria Azarenka lost her opening round match at the BNP Paribas Open 2014 Indian Wells on Friday to 20-year old American Lauren Davis 0-6, 6-7. This was her first match for more than a month.
The Belarussian skipped tournaments in Doha and Dubai because of a left foot injury that sidelined her for several weeks.
The two-time Australian Open champion was seen limping at times and had trouble serving. She was also fighting off tears during the second set when she fell behind 4-3.
“Basically, all I had was my fighting spirit,” Azarenka said. “When I’m on the court I try to give as much as I can, even on one leg. I try to do my best in tough situations. That’s part of our job.”
Azarenka is no longer sure whether she will compete at the Sony Open 2014 Miami in less then two weeks time.
“I want to be pain-free because it’s not to the most fun to be out there like that,” she said.
