Azarenka: ‘We’re not villains’

Australian Open semi-finalist Victoria Azarenka says she feels sympathy for Novak Djokovic and pleaded for players not to be treated as “villains”.

Belarus’ Azarenka, 33, is in her first Melbourne semi-final since 2013 – when the legitimacy of her medical time-out against Sloane Stephens was questioned.

Serbia’s Djokovic has been accused of dramatising the extent of a hamstring injury during the Australian Open.

“We are regular human beings that go through many, many things,” she said.

“There is sometimes, I don’t know, an incredible desire for a villain and a hero story that has to be written.

“But we’re not villains and we’re not heroes.” other tough day out. Set 280 to win, Canterbury could only manage 187 with Jemmett grabbing his second half-century of the week with a 57-run innings. Robinson was again the pick of the bowlers taking 4-31 off his seven overs.

Nine-time men’s champion Djokovic, who played Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev in the men’s singles quarter-finals on Wednesday, said earlier this week he was an “easy target to be the villain”.

Results during the week resulted in a rematch against Central on Monday in a T20 format and Canterbury batted hard to reach 142-7 from their 20 overs with Robinson scoring 20 of those.

Canterbury managed to make it two for the week against their Central rivals by rolling them for 127 to finish the week on a high with both Jemmett and Middleton snaring wickets in the bowling effort.

Djokovic was reportedly unhappy the validity of his toilet break during a second-round win over France’s Enzo Couacaud was questioned.

The fourth seed has been wearing heavy strapping on his left thigh all tournament, taking a medical time-out against Couacaud and also during his third-round win over Grigor Dimitrov.

Following his fourth-round win over Australia’s Alex de Minaur, Djokovic was also reported to have told Serbian media that only his injuries “were doubted”.

“I leave the doubting to those people – let them doubt,” he added.

“Only my injuries are questioned. When some other players are injured, then they are the victims, but when it is me, I am faking it.”