124. “NOWT AS STRANGE AS FOLK”

There’s a saying in (northern) England, “nowt as strange as folk,” or in other words, there is nothing as strange as people (and how they behave), and how true that is when it comes to the pro tennis tour!

I am referring in particular to the collection of people, (the majority of whom I have observed to be male), who hang around women’s tennis tournaments and idolise, heckle and in the most severe cases, hurl abuse at specific players. I cannot say if this happens at men’s tournaments but I think the likelihood of these characters being seen at an ATP event, as opposed to a WTA tournament, is pretty slim.

Now obviously you get the extreme, and very scary, cases – the stalkers and the verbal abusers (think most recently of Emma Raducanu and Danielle Collins). And of course, no one can forget the most horrendous incident involving Monica Seles back in April 1993, when a man stabbed her from behind during the change of ends at a WTA match in Hamburg. But these extreme cases aside, there are still always a handful of men who hang around certain tournaments and whose presence can make the players feel very uncomfortable. These chaps are nearly always alone and they always seem to know what time particular players are scheduled to play and where. They wait patiently and then when ‘their player’ passes by they will often thrust photos in front of her to sign; ask for selfies; and try and engage in conversation. More often than not they mean no harm and are just eager to get a photo with their favourite player but for the player involved, especially if new to the tour, this kind of attention can be quite scary.

At the higher level tournaments, security staff are more often than not now provided to escort the players to and from the courts, and they are there to keep unwanted attention from fans at bay. But nevertheless, it can still be somewhat unnerving when a stranger calls out your name and then asks for a picture to be taken, or for a photo of yourself that he has taken previously, to be signed.

These individuals may also try to make contact with their chosen player via Instagram or other social media but thankfully there are ways in which such messages can be screened and blocked if needs be. Some of the messages are nice and are filled with support and encouragement but others are simply rude and intrusive. For example, a player I know received a message recently asking her what sort of underwear she wears under her shorts during matches. This is abuse.

This kind of in person, and ‘asking very personal questions,’ abuse is of just as much a concern as the threats and vile messages the vast majority of players (male and female) receive after their matches, especially the matches they have lost. In a way however, it is worse. The online abuse is incredibly bad and needs to be stopped but when the “abuser”, or crazed fan, is court-side then the ‘threat’ is more immediate and intimidating. So if you are the parent/coach of a player, especially a female player, please be aware that this kind of thing happens and advise them to be vigilant and aware. These more eager than most “fans” do not only follow players in their home countries but some also travel around the world hoping for a few minutes next to their idol. So my advice is don’t engage and stick close to the security guys if provided.

#realitytennis

******************************************************

If you have enjoyed this blog, please follow, share and read more at http://www.realitytennis.WordPress.com and subscribe to receive e mail notification of upcoming blogs as they are released. Follow also at:

Twitter: @realitytennis

Instagram: realitytennis

If you have similar stories to share, please feel free to e mail the author at: sallyappleton64@gmail.com