Emma Raducanu’s experience of a stalker in Dubai should not be considered a security failure, says the chief executive of the Women’s Tennis Association.
The Briton was left in tears after seeing a man who had followed her to four successive tournaments in the stands during her match against Karolina Muchova in February.
The man, who was removed from the stands and later given a restraining order by Dubai police, had given Raducanu a letter and asked for a photo in a coffee shop the previous day.
The 22-year-old told BBC Sport she believes the incident could have been dealt with better, although her anxiety about the individual was not relayed to the WTA until the following day.
Portia Archer, who became the new WTA chief executive in June, described it as a “very unfortunate series of events”.
“The WTA has invested a great deal of resources into the safety and wellbeing of our players and it’s a priority for the organisation,” Archer told BBC Sport.
“I wouldn’t call it a security failure at all. As soon as we became aware of the threat, we acted immediately.
“But we will look at ways to improve.”
A number of players have spoken about the abuse they receive online, with Sloane Stephens saying she received more than 2,000 abusive messages after her US Open loss in 2021.
Stephanie Hilborne, the chief executive of the Women in Sport charity, spoke last month of the “need to stop inadvertently overexposing elite female athletes.”
Archer believes athletes should be free to share whatever they like on social media and not feel restricted by the risk of a “bad actor taking advantage of that”.
“I think we delve into the wrong territory by somehow blaming it on an athlete for sharing information about themselves,” Archer said.
“Players can use their judgement and decide how – and how much of themselves – they want to express.
“Doing so shouldn’t be the reason that any sort of bad actor decides to take advantage of that.”
‘We have to keep our environment safe’
Archer also addressed the suspension of Stefano Vukov, the former coach of 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
The Czech has been banned for an undisclosed period by the WTA following an independent investigation into his behaviour towards the player.
Vukov, who is currently unable to access accredited areas at tournaments, has denied any wrongdoing.
Rybakina has said she was never mistreated by the Croat and would like him to be able to resume full coaching duties.
“We are able to offer support and advice to Elena,” Archer said.
“Our responsibility is to Elena as well as to the hundreds of other WTA players and it’s really important that we keep our environment safe.
“This is the workplace of my staff, our athletes and it is a place where fans come to enjoy our sport.
“That is what is at the forefront of my mind – we have to keep our environment safe.
“In doing so we are certainly providing resources to the affected individuals within our community, like Elena in this case, to the extent that’s necessary and desired.”
