Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka will not play in the French Open that begins this week because of a nagging foot injury.
Azarenka, the fifth-ranked player in the world, has been plagued by the injury all season. She’s only been able to participate in one tournament since the Australian Open in January. Azarenka attempted to play in this month’s BNP Paribas Open in hopes of using the tournament as a springboard to the French Open, but the hampered star fell to 20-year-old Lauren Davis in her first match. She noted that the nerve damage she is experiencing in her left foot flared up during the match against Davis.
“I want to learn how to go through the tough thing, how to try to do the best in the toughest situation,” Azarenka said. “Sometimes it takes time. It’s a process to go through. You’ve got to learn how to win in bad situations and ugly situations and stuff. That’s part of our job.”
Azarenka initially hurt her foot three days prior to the Australian Open, but she played through the pain. She wore a walking boot for three weeks before removing it for practice in the week leading up to the Paribas Open.
“When you hear for the first time from the doctor that you have to wear a boot for three weeks and the tournament is four-and-a-half weeks away, you’re like ‘OK, let’s see how it goes,’” she said. “I just wanted to stay positive and do the best job as possible.”
When asked if she had received clearance from the medical staff to resume activity on her injured foot, Azarenka shrugged and said she was “too stubborn for that.”
It’s unclear how long Azarenka will be sidelined with the injury, but it would be surprising if she didn’t test out her ankle again prior to Wimbledon, which begins June 23.
Dr. Silverman comments
The Sports Illustrated piece doesn’t detail which nerve is acting up. There are five nerves in the foot and ankle:
- Superficial Peroneal (has two major branches)
- Deep Peroneal
- Tibial (with 4 major branches)
- Saphenous
- Sural
The thing is, isolated nerve trouble is rare. Most of the time the nerve trouble is a secondary problem and another mechanical condition is the cause.
Some typical examples include:
Morton’s Neuroma – The nerve between third and fourth toes gets trapped. Shoes make it worse. FoodEducation.com has a good explanation of both operative and non-operative treatment options.
Distal Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome – Baxter’s nerve entrapment is caused by thickened tissue associated with plantar fasciitis. Similarly, anterior tarsal tunnel is caused from wearing tight shoes.
Superficial Peroneal Nerve Entrapment: A severe or repetitive ankle sprain causes numbness and shooting pain on the top of the foot. A person can develop poor sensation of the ligaments that prevent ankle sprains, thus making a person more susceptible to resprain.
Whatever Azarenka injured, I don’t expect this injury to resolve on its own prior to Wimbledon.
Related source: Sports Illustrated