We have to talk about the Danielle Collins heckler in the stands at the Washington D.C tennis tournament. It was incredibly hard to watch and a stark reminder yet again, of the safety concerns that have forever confronted women’s tennis.
Earlier this year during the second-round match at the Dubai Open, we witnessed a distraught Emma Raducanu spot a man in the crowd who was stalking her. Immediately she alerted the umpire. The man was escorted away and given a restraining order. However Emma was clearly and understandably stressed and scared. A similar incident happened to her in 2022, when yet a different man was found outside her home having walked miles just to camp outside her private residence. Katie Boulter has also spoken up on her experiences with men stalking her and following her during the tours and in her off – season. And we will never forget the 1993 match where a fan stabbed Monica Seles on court. While the attacker was seeking to harm Seles because of his support for her opponent Steffi Graf, his obsession with Steffi led him to jump on court and harm Seles in a way that could have ended in tragedy.
So what has changed and are we taking this seriously?
Last Monday during Danielle Collins match, a man sitting behind her bench, consistently heckled her throughout the match. Calling her names, falsely cheering her on and his voice echoed through the hard-court stadium. Danielle has faced a fair share of harassment and has always spoken up about this behaviour. Thankfully, the chair umpire had the individual removed from the stadium and he could not longer be heard but Danielle had to take a moment at the back of the court and gather herself. She lost the match. And I’m going to say it again, it was hard to witness a woman and an athlete face such terrifying behaviour. Just last year, Danielle shared that when she first got on tour, a persistent cameraman asked for a hug after a gruelling, long match. Exhausted and new to the environment, she hesitated but agreed to a reluctant hug. Instead of a hug, the cameraman launched in to her kiss her without her consent. Since then, Danielle Collins has continually come under fire for the way she insists on personal space, especially on tour, yet its understandable.
What now?
The WTA have expressed player safety as a priority, and have made efforts to educating and safeguarding the players. Yet the increase in harassment and stalking for female tennis players has increased and the players speak up and out about their experiences. Policy and reality don;t always go hand in hand. Policy may be in place, but the human element of psychological and mental damage will continue if serious changes are not implemented. Watching the players being stalked or harassed during a game is terrifying, how much more traumatic is it to be on the receiving end of this behaviour. More has to be done, support has to be given when this happens on court, a pause in play needs to happen, it shouldn’t just be business as usual. Considering the reality, the WTA should consider other realities, like having a psychologist join staff at tours, and educating themselves on the nature of harassment and its trauma. Safety for players is always a concern, but with the social media age and accessibility to players, more than ever we have to protect women in sport.
