Victoria Azarenka gets vaccinated and responds to a hater

APRIL 22, 2021 15:10

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which took place in the early months of 2020, took everyone by surprise: even the men's and women's tennis circuits, of course, had to run for cover by canceling or postponing numerous calendar events.

The Wimbledon tournament, for example, preferred to take advantage of its most precious insurance and postpone everything to the following year, while Roland Garros in Paris was moved from spring to autumn, in totally different playing conditions.

In the final weeks of the terrible 2020, hope seems to have lit up for the future return to normality: the development of vaccines, on which, however, there was no shortage of conflicting opinions right from the start. In the world of tennis, some hostility has been recorded by world number one Novak Djokovic, Diego Schwartzman and Andrey Rublev, just to name a few.

The feeling of impatience grew even stronger when ATP and WTA encouraged players to get vaccinated when possible, in a statement that was perceived by many as an obligation.

Viktoria Azarenka's vaccine

Former WTA number one Simona Halep received the vaccine at the beginning of 2021, while in recent weeks it was the turn of the Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, who immediately communicated it enthusiastically on her Twitter and Instagram account.

Recently it also touched the Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, finalist at the last US Open and current number 15 in the world rankings. The tennis player from Minsk, after posting her photo with the patch on her arm on social media, received a particularly negative comment from a user, who wrote: "I'm amazed that you expose your body's immune system to a cocktail of unknown and unlicensed drugs, labeled and sold as vaccine." The user then went on to cite former Australian champion Pat Cash, who in recent weeks had similarly lashed out against the WTA's advice to female players to get their dose of the vaccine as soon as possible.

Annoyed by these words, Vika countered: "Why do people have problems with other people's choices if they are not the same? I didn't tell anyone to get the vaccine. I do it for myself, for my knowledge and for my belief in what is right." Azarenka has not played since Miami, where she lost in the round of 16 to Ashleigh Barty in three sets.

why are people have a problem with other people choice if doesn’t align with yours?
I didn’t tell no one to go do it.
I said what I’m doing for me, for my knowledge and my belief on what is right. https://t.co/8SllEQN4N5 — victoria azarenka (@vika7) April 19, 2021