Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek has received additional security at the Miami Open after a spectator was reported for threatening behaviour.
There is heightened scrutiny on player safety in tennis after Emma Raducanu was left in tears when a man, who had approached her was ejected from the stands during one of her matches at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.
The Swiatek incident is understood to have taken place last week.
“We take the safety and security of all players and tournament attendees extremely seriously,” said Miami Open organisers in a statement.
“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.”
A spokesperson for Swiatek’s team told the Press Association: “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.
“We reported the matter to the tournament organiser, as well as to the WTA, which reacted immediately and took additional precautions, such as additional security, for which we are very grateful.
“Ensuring the safety of the players is crucial. They are the ones at the centre of the event and it is our job to protect them.”
World No 2 Swiatek is playing in the Miami Open quarter-finals on Wednesday against Alexandra Eala.
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Swiatek said her emotional social media post regarding online criticism was in part letting her home fans know how better to support her, saying it is not easy in Poland
Henman: Shouting abuse is unacceptable
Sky Sports Tennis’ Tim Henman:
“It’s horrible. Unfortunately in the society we live in, this is something that does go on and often it’s more the online abuse, but to have someone in the stands at the back of the practice court shouting abuse is unacceptable.
“It’s great that both tours are aware of this type of behaviour. If they are able to catch those culprits they will certainly be removed.
“They have no place near a tennis tournament, no place in society. Not a nice thing for Swiatek and hopefully we can eradicate it as much as possible.
“Swiatek is one of the best players in the world, she comes from a country like Poland that doesn’t have an enormous tennis tradition so she’s flying the flag, so there will be a lot of support but, inevitably, the other side of the coin. It’s horrible for her to deal with that.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, help is available online at sky.com/viewersupport.
