Victoria Azarenka receives code violation for | Sports News

Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka was left in disbelief at a call during her second-round match in Indian Wells against eighth seed Qinwen Zheng – who isn’t short of a few bold comments herself.

Azarenka, who was central to some recent good news off the court, misjudged one of her opponent’s shots, believing it was going out before it landed firmly on the line. With electronic line calling in use, she couldn’t challenge the call.

The two-time Indian Wells champion launched into an expletive-laden rant about the “s—-y system” and received a code violation. She was quickly broken and lost the match.

Azarenka had been hoping to turn her season around in Indian Wells after a disappointing start to the year. The Belarusian hadn’t made it past the second round in any tournament so far this year and was looking to break that streak when she faced Zheng on Friday.

Facing the No. 8 seed and Olympic champion, Azarenka had a tough task ahead if she wanted to advance to the third round. Zheng took the first set, but Azarenka tried to fight back, immediately getting back on serve after twice being broken in the second set.

At 4-4 30-30 in the second set, Azarenka found herself in a tight spot. She ran back towards a ball she thought was going out and lifted her arm to challenge, forgetting that automatic line calling was in use.

Azarenka was stunned by the call, adamantly disputing the hawkeye replay that showed the ball in. The commentators called it a “horrible misjudgement” and Azarenka, at 35, approached the umpire’s chair to protest.

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“There’s absolutely no way,” she exclaimed. “This is bull—-. What is the video review for? I mean, it’s a clear mark. It’s already the second time. It’s a clear mark.”

Despite her protests, the umpire could not overturn the automatic call. Chair official Marija Cicak responded, “I understand but I can’t,” acknowledging her limitations.

Azarenka knew the umpire was bound by the system but continued to express her dissatisfaction, retorting, “I know you can’t do it. It’s a s—-y f—— system.”

Her expletive-laden outburst resulted in a code violation. When Cicak informed Azarenka of the warning, she sarcastically remarked, “Of course I have to get a code.”

The Belarusian returned to the baseline, saved a break point, but ultimately lost the game and Zheng secured a 6-3, 6-4 win. While Azarenka’s Indian Wells run ended in frustration, off the court, as a WTA Player Council representative, she has made significant progress, successfully advocating for maternity pay on the women’s tennis tour.

The WTA has unveiled a groundbreaking initiative in collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the PIF. The PIF WTA Maternity Fund Program will provide players with up to 12 months of paid maternity leave, fertility treatment grants, and additional benefits.