"These are images that are unacceptable, players who quit matches for no apparent reason" - Justine Henin on Alexander Bublik, Victoria Azarenka mid-match retirements
bublik" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Alexander Bublik raised a few eyebrows when he retired from his second-round match in Monte-Carlo against Pablo Carreno Busta. The Kazakh, who had beaten Stan Wawrinka in the opening round, was unable to make the most of a match point at 6-4, 5-4 and lost the second set to the Spaniard.
Post a double fault in the third set, Bublik decided to retire with the score at 4-3 in Carreno Busta's favor despite not being in any visible distress on court. While it seemed like an abrupt retirement for no reason, the ATP stated that the Kazakh had a shoulder injury and would not be fined.
Bublik's retirement from Monte-Carlo was similar to Victoria Azarenka's at the Miami Open in that the Belarusian abruptly left the court midway through her match against Linda Fruhvirtova. However, Azarenka later addressed the incident, stating that she'd been dealing with personal issues and that her taking to court was a mistake.
Against the backdrop of players quitting matches early, seven-time Grand Slam winner Justine Henin opined that such behavior is inconsiderate towards ticket-holders, sponsors and those who pay for television rights.
“There are images that are unacceptable: players who quit matches for no apparent reason, at least for no reason we know, like Bublik," Henin said. “We saw it also with Azarenka recently. There are still people who pay for their tickets, televisions that pay fees, sponsors who put a lot of money to be able to pay these players. I find that unacceptable.”
Wow.... https://t.co/SuVWW7cQZ1
Justine Henin was faced accusations of faking injuries, poor sportsmanship during her playing days
Justine Henin, who along with Kim Clijsters helped place Belgium on the tennis map, is considered by many to be one of the greatest female players of all time.
Henin is a former World No. 1 who won her first French Open title in 2003 and followed up her initial success at Roland-Garros with three titles in a row (2005, 2006, and 2007). The Belgian also won the US Open in 2003 and 2007 and the Australian Open in 2004.
Interestingly, Kim Clijsters once accused Henin of faking injuries to distract opponents and break their rhythm back in 2003. The comment from Clijsters was made after the two legends played a match at the Acura Classic tournament in San Diego, which Henin won.
Clijsters, who was leading 6-3 went on to lose after her countrywoman took a five-minute medical break to replace a bandage.
Justine Henin also faced accusations of poor sportsmanship from Serena Williams post their 2003 French Open semifinal encounter.
Williams was booed by the crowd but she also accused Justine Henin of "lying and fabricating."
It was just a tough crowd out there today,” Williams said. She held up a hand as tears filled her eyes, then said, “I’m not used to crying. It’s a little difficult. All my life I’ve had to fight. So it’s just another fight I’m going to have to learn how to win. I’ve got to just keep smiling.”