MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Iga Swiatek was given extra security protection at the Miami Open after being verbally attacked during a practice session by a man who had sent the five-time Grand Slam champion harassing messages via social media, BBC Sport reported Wednesday, citing representatives for the player.
The episode comes a little more than a month after a stalker was removed from a match being played by 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu in Dubai.
Spokespeople for the Miami Open and the WTA Tour would not confirm exactly what happened with Swiatek at the hard-court tournament that finishes this weekend.
The No. 2-seeded Swiatek was facing Alexandra Eala in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
“Player safety is our top priority. The WTA works closely with tournaments and their security teams on best practices for international sporting events to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants. There are comprehensive security protocols in place to make sure that any incidents are handled promptly and effectively,” the WTA said. “The details of these are not something we discuss publicly, but we are steadfast in our commitment to maintaining a safe environment for players and everyone attending one of our events.”
The Miami Open issued a statement saying: “We take the safety and security of all players and tournament attendees extremely seriously. We constantly evaluate any potential threats and take every measure to respond appropriately. To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, we do not disclose the details of our security operations.”
At the Dubai Championships last month, Raducanu said, she could barely breathe and her eyes filled with tears when a stalker who had approached her earlier in the tournament was in the stands during her match.
Raducanu spoke to the chair umpire, and the man was ejected from the court and later detained by police.
In 2022, an obsessive fan was given a restraining order after going to Raducanu’s home three times.
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