The world’s No. 2 tennis player, Caroline Wozniacki, claims fans verbally attacked her and her family after she lost to Monica Puig Friday at the Miami Open. The tennis star said her parents received death threats from the unfriendly crowd, and that her fiancé’s nieces and nephews were cursed at.
“During the match last night people threatened my family, wished death upon my mom and dad, called me names that I can’t repeat here and told my fiancé’s niece and nephew (who are 10 years old) to sit down and shut the f*ck up, meanwhile security and staff did nothing to prevent this and even accepted this to take place,” Wozniacki wrote on Twitter.
She continued in her Twitter post that she wants her fans to cheer for her in the stands, but did not appreciate the crowd’s attitude.
— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) March 24, 2018
“I hope the Miami Open chooses to take this seriously because this is a horrible example to set for the next generation of tennis players and fans,’ Wozniacki wrote. “I wish Monica all the best for the rest of the tournament.”
Wozniacki’s fiancé, retired NBA player David Lee, confirmed the crowd’s behavior, and also hoped something will be done to solve this problem.
“Disgusting atmosphere, hope something can be done to prevent this from happening again!” Lee said.
Disgusting atmosphere, hope something can be done to prevent this from happening again! https://t.co/fi1mcRqLcw
— David Lee (@Dlee042) March 24, 2018
Miami Open tournament director James Blake released a statement on Saturday, saying that staff and security during the tournament did not see nor were informed about any threats made to the players or to their family members.
“During the match, we had tournament and WTA staff as well as tournament security courtside. They never witnessed, nor were notified, of any specific threats made to the players or their families,” Blake said in a statement, which was posted to Twitter by New York Times Sports reporter David Waldstein. “If we had been notified, the situation would have been handled immediately.”
Statement from Miami Open tournament director James Blake regarding Caroline Wozniacki’s statement that she and her family were subjected to abuse from the stands. pic.twitter.com/Hy0hR3f5E0
— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) March 24, 2018
Some fans can definitely be out of control, but this is certainly next level stuff. Just another reason why watching from the comfort of your own home makes much more sense. This world is getting crazier by the day.