Mirra Andreeva echoed Swiatek’s sentiments towards Raducanu and reminded the press of the pervasiveness of uncomfortable fan interactions—particularly on social media.
“I remember once when I was young, when I was 14 years old, I was playing one of my first ITF tournaments and I received a message after my loss that, ‘Look around, because I’m going to find you and I’m going to cut your arms,’” recalled the 17-year-old.
“To be honest I’ve never felt that I’m in danger. We have a lot of security around us when we go out of the court and we sign the balls and we take pictures. Me, I always see three to four security guards around me, so I feel very safe. I’ve never, ever thought that something can happen. Thanks to the organizers I guess that they provide us with safety.”
As much as the tour and tournament can assist, Swiatek noted that the player themselves must feel empowered to recognize and report suspicious behavior from people on the grounds.
“A player will know when it’s too much,” said the Pole, who will face Andreeva in the quarterfinals. Everybody has a different limit.”
