Caroline Wozniacki, the world No 2, has warned she may boycott the Miami Open after what she considered was an inadequate response from officials to her claims of death threats and abuse aimed at her family at the tournament last month.
The Australian Open winner was disappointed with what she saw as the Miami Open director James Blake’s unsympathetic response after security staff “did nothing to prevent” the verbal abuse she complained were directed at her family during her second-round defeat to the local favourite Monica Puig.
The Puerto Rican lives locally and Wozniacki said elements in the rowdy Miami home crowd made death threats and hurled abuse at those in her courtside box.
Blake issued a statement which stated: “We had tournament and Women’s Tennis Association staff as well as tournament security courtside. They never witnessed, nor were they notified of any specific threats made to their players or their families.”
Wozniacki, speaking at her home in Monaco on Wednesday, said: “I have to make a decision where I feel I want to go back [to Miami] or not. I haven’t made that decision yet. I would have hoped that [James Blake] would have made a stance, but he didn’t and that’s that.”
She said was surprised at Blake’s reaction, alluding to his being falsely arrested by police in New York three years ago, and was especially perturbed at the fact that her partner David Lee’s niece and nephew were left in tears as a result of the experience.
“James Blake has been through these things and while I’ve tried to forget the whole thing I think it was important that I spoke up and said something about it because I don’t think it was OK,” said Wozniacki.
“I slept horribly for probably four or five days. To have David’s niece and nephew crying after the match and having to explain to them it’s not normal and this is not the way people should behave, it’s not a good feeling.”
The Miami Open is owned and run by IMG, whose client Maria Sharapova has been criticised by Wozniacki following her return from a 15-month doping ban.
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