Fuming Victoria Azarenka storms off court at French Open claiming freezing conditions are ‘ridiculous’

FUMING Victoria Azarenka stormed off court at the French Open, claiming the freezing conditions were “ridiculous”.

The angry Belarusian complained about the low temperature and drizzle while leading 2-1 in the first set of her first-round match against Danka Kovinic from Montenegro.

Azarenka stormed off court after complaining about the cold at the French Open

Azarenka spoke to match officials about the cold and drizzle before walking off court

Azarenka, the 2020 US Open runner-up, asked the umpire to speak to the supervisor Clare Wood but refused to sit still for a few minutes and wait for official guidance on how to proceed.

Rather than sit around in the cold waiting for a decision, she zipped up her puffer jacket, packed up her stuff and walked off Court Suzanne-Lenglen in a huff after 26 minutes of play.

There was still play on SEVEN other outside courts as she returned to the safety and warmth of the locker room.

Azarenka, 31, moaned: “It’s getting slippery. It has been raining for 15 minutes and we have been playing out here. The towels are all wet.

“You guys are joking, right? You guys are joking? Don’t you see what is happening? What are we doing here?

“You guys are not playing, so you have no idea of the conditions.

“I’m down to play whatever. You know, I’m not complaining here. But this is getting a little bit ridiculous.

“Well, I’m not sitting here. I will get frozen. I’m not waiting here for a couple of minutes.

The players trudged back onto the court, wrapped up warm, as they prepared to restart

“I am cold, it’s eight degrees. I live in Florida. I’m used to hot weather.

“(Kovinic) you want to wait on court? No. It’s ridiculous, it’s too cold, what’s the point? Sitting here like ducks.”

The players returned to court after a 30-minute delay but No10 seed Azarenka, a two-time major winner, was far from happy.

American Jim Courier, the former world No1, said: “I’d like them to have a better argument than: ‘I live in a place where it’s warm.’

“To be fair, I don’t think that was a particularly strong argument from Vika.

“I certainly understand the players’ trepidation about playing in conditions they deem are unsafe.

“But the fact they are playing all around the grounds doesn’t give a lot of credence to their argument.”