Victoria Azarenka told to remove her PSG shirt before match

• Victoria Azarenka loses to Elena Rybakina in Australian Open semifinal.
• Former world No. 1 was told to remove her PSG shirt before the match.
• The Belarusian wore the shirt for her six-year-old son.

Victoria Azarenka was told to remove her Paris Saint-Germain shirt before her Australian Open semifinal loss to Elena Rybakina on Thursday, which resulted in her giving up the Grand Slam.

To honor her six-year-old son, who is also a great fan of the Paris club, the 33-year-old two-time winner has worn shirts at the competition that promote French Ligue 1 champions PSG.

After exchanging words with the chair umpire at Rod Laver Arena, Azarenka removed her PSG shirt before warming up against Rybakina in her usual gear.

“They told me to take it off twice since I was wearing a different shirt,” she told reporters after losing to Rybakina 7-6(4) 6-3.

“I believe the problem is with the sponsorships. I suppose the logos are too large… I’m aware that I’m not permitted to participate in it. I was aware of such things.

“But I can still step on the court in what I want to step on the court. I do it for personal reasons.

“My son wore the white jersey today to his practice, and I wanted to wear a white jersey to my match but couldn’t. So that’s fine.”

That was the lesser of two setbacks for Azarenka on Thursday, as her quest for a third title in Melbourne ended with remorse over squandered opportunities against Rybakina.

The champion from 2012 and 2013 lost a break in the opening set and only three of the eight break points she faced were successful.

At 5-5 in the opening set, Azarenka was up 0-40 on Rybakina’s serve, but she couldn’t capitalize and lost momentum as her error count increased and her opponent’s confidence grew.

“I’m proud of myself for fighting and trying, but I just wasn’t there — tennis-wise, I felt like [I] just wasn’t there, even when I kept creating those opportunities,” Azarenka said.

“It’s not an easy emotion to digest right now.

“But give me a few of hours and I can have maybe a better outlook on this month in Australia. I’m excited to see what I can do during the year.”

On Saturday, Rybakina will face World No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka, who has yet to lose a set in the event.

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