Iga Światek receives additional security at Miami Open after harassment during practice

New York Times

26-03-2025

Iga Świątek has been given additional security at the Miami Open after her team reported that a man had harassed her at a practice session Sunday, in an incident that a representative for Świątek described as 'a direct transition from verbal aggression online to harassment in the real world.'
Video footage posted to Reddit and X shows Świątek practicing at the tournament with coach Wim Fissette and Daria Abramowicz, her sports psychologist. A male voice speaks over the footage in Polish. It says: 'Hey Iga call your mom,' followed by, 'Hey Iga, when will you make up with your mother?'
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The speaker then focuses on Abramowicz, saying: 'Daria runs with water like a trained dog.'
This translation has been corroborated by two independent translators. The representative for Świątek, who wrote to The Athletic via text message, also said that the person present at the practice made reference to Świątek's family.
The person 'shouted personal remarks referring to her private life: 'Hey Iga, call your mother!' 'When will you reconcile with your mother?' the representative said.
'In his behavior he was aggressive and taunting.'
Świątek's parents divorced during her childhood, with both Iga and her sister, Agata, living with their father.
The video footage posted to Reddit includes screenshots from an account on X with the username 'DzonnyBravo,' which has been deleted. One screenshot of a post from that username says that the person using the account will travel to Miami to ask Świątek about her relationship with her mother. Another contains a still image matching the video footage posted to Reddit.
The Athletic has contacted the owner of the account for comment.
The Miami Open did not confirm the nature of the additional security or how the man in question has been dealt with. A statement sent to The Athletic said: 'We take the safety and security of all players and tournament attendees extremely seriously. We constantly evaluate any potential threats and take every measure to respond appropriately. To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, we do not disclose the details of our security operations.'
The WTA initially said that the incident was a matter for the tournament, but later issued the following statement:
'Player safety is our top priority. The WTA works closely with tournaments and their security teams on best practices for international sporting events to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants. There are comprehensive security protocols in place to make sure that any incidents are handled promptly and effectively.
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'The details of these are not something we discuss publicly, but we are steadfast in our commitment to maintaining a safe environment for players and everyone attending one of our events.'
Sunday's incident took place little over a month after Emma Raducanu was reduced to tears at the Dubai Open in February, when a man later said to be displaying 'fixated behavior' toward her appeared at a courtside seat during her defeat to Karolina Muchova.
The man, who had approached Raducanu the previous day and given her a photo of herself with his name and contact details, was escorted away by security. He was subsequently given a restraining order, according to authorities in Dubai, and banned from attending WTA Tour events.
Świątek takes on Alexandra Eala in the Miami Open quarterfinals Wednesday.
— Matthew Futterman contributed reporting.