This "injury-time--to-calm-down" or "injury-time-to-break-the-other's-momentum" time-out is nothing new and WTA players have been using this frequently at every level, from Slam Finals all the way to the small ITF Future tournaments. People will attack Azarenka now simply because she basically admitted to taking the time-out to regroup from the injury, but where were all these so-called experts and media people for the last 10+ years, beginning with the 2002 Australian Open finals between Capriati and Hingis who basically took injury and bathroom time-outs at will whenever the other got the momentum. This problem is like a plague in women's tennis, and in almost half of the matches that I have seen in 2012 on the ITF Circuit tournaments, whenever a player loses the second set and faces a third and final set, it's almost automatic, she takes a time-out to go to the bathroom or fakes an injury time-out, usually it's back or shoulder, and the trainer will come and do a mock massage for a few minutes (I would have no problem with the need to go to the bathroom - but when it happens at the end of the set regularly and initiated by the one who just lost the set, that's something else).
One good thing that could come out of this is that perhaps Azarenka's "lesser" hypocracy will trigger some sort of pressure on the WTA to do something about this ridiculous rule. Because if she basically lied like all women's players who have regularly pulled this trick for over 10 years now, there would be no reaction, and WTA would have kept turning a blind eye to it (just like the tennis media personalities who are blowing smoke since the match ended, where were they until today? I don't remember Brad Gilbert or Pam Shriver attacking any other player who did exactly what Azarenka did). Azarenka did what we have been seeing regularly, the only difference is that she unintentionlly publicized the general hypocracy with her interview statements.
I am guessing that if she begins to take some heat during the press conference or in the next several hours, all of a sudden the official story will change to "back injury" or "irregular breathing" etc. to make it legit and at the same time, save WTA's behind.
