Further concerns have been raised about the safety of women in tennis after world No2 Iga Swiatek complained of being aggressively verbally abused by a spectator at the Miami Open.
The incident, which is said to have happened during a practice session on Saturday, comes just weeks after Emma Raducanu was targeted by a stalker at a tournament in Dubai.
Five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek’s representatives told the BBC that the man who is alleged to have harangued her had previously sent abusive messages to her online.
“The Miami incident appears to be a direct transition from verbal aggression online to harassment in the real world,” they said. “He was aggressive and taunting.
“Security is a top priority. We monitor the network to catch these types of issues. Constructive criticism is one thing, and threats, hate speech or even disturbance during training is another – this cannot be condoned.”
Miami Open organisers and the WTA Tour are reported to have put extra security in place around Swiatek after being made aware of the Polish player’s ordeal.
Britain’s Raducanu criticised the handling of her attention from a man described as “fixated” at the Dubai Tennis Championship in February.
“Since that incident I have definitely got increased attention and greater security,” she said earlier this month.
“All we can do is look at what happened and react to it in a better way, in a more positive way, rather than looking back and blaming the situation.
“Now it is being dealt with better, so for me that’s important. I’m always now very aware and not necessarily doing things on my own any more. I’m always with someone and always being watched.”
Raducanu opted not to press charges after the man was detained but he has been banned from future tournaments.
A previous stalker of the former US Open champion was given a five-year straining order in 2022.