Scary stuff at the US Open on Wednesday, September 1st when womens number-ten seed Victoria Azarenka collapsed and had to be taken off the court in a wheelchair.
Azarenka suffered a mild concussion prior to Wednesday’s match when she fell and hit her head during warm-up.
The Belarusian tried to fight through her match on a humid day three at Flushing Meadows. However, trailing Gisela Dulko 5-1 in the first set, Azarenka collapsed to the ground.
The 21-year-old released a statement later in the day claiming her head injury (and not the heat), made her crumple to the ground.
“I was warming up in the gym prior to my match against Gisela Dulko when I fell while running a sprint,” I fell forward and hit my arm and head. I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside for monitoring. I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell.”
Azarenka looked to have some difficulty throughout the match, at one point, even kneeling down.
When Azarenka fell, a medical team rushed to the court. With umbrellas protecting her from the sun and an ice-pack on her neck, Azarenka was helped into a wheelchair and taken to hospital.
– with files from the Associated Press
Photo: Associated Press