Tennis stars urge players to speak out about abuse

Wimbledon stars Caroline Wozniacki and Madison Keys believe any players suffering in silence would find support if they came forward to report abuse.

Judy Murray this week urged women’s tour players to speak out if they have been exploited, highlighting player-coach relationships as one area of potential concern.

Former Great Britain Fed Cup captain Murray, who is also the mother of former Wimbledon winners Andy and Jamie Murray, said highprofile players should make their voices heard if they are aware of others suffering.

Wozniacki, the Wimbledon second seed and reigning Australian Open champion, said she was unaware of any problems.

But the Dane is confident the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour has the infrastructure in place to allow players to report concerns in confidence.

She said: “We have a lot of help within the tour of people that you can talk to and psychologists and so on.

“We have people that you can go and speak to behind closed doors and nobody else knows about it. I think if anyone has any issues, they all know they have that opportunity.

“Personally, I haven’t heard of any instances, but I think we’re in this age and this point where, of course, if something is going on, I think if people are willing to talk about it, it can 0 Caroline Wozniacki says she is unaware of any problems help other people. I personally haven’t experienced it.

“There is help to get it on tour if you need it, which I think is the main thing.”

And American player Keys, seeded tenth at Wimbledon, said tennis would benefit from being a part of the #Metoo movement.

Abusers have been called out across a wide spectrum of society, and Keys said: “Honestly, I feel like just the world that we live in we could use a little bit of #Metoo in every aspect of everything.

“I think the biggest thing is just the awareness that it’s happening a lot and it’s happening everywhere, and just because you’re in sports or in politics or an actress, it happens across the board. It happens to a lot of people.

“I think the biggest thing is just having the conversation and listening and talking to each other.

“I hope that people would feel comfortable coming forward and talking about it and I think a lot of people would

0 Rufus the hawk on pigeon duty with his handler Imogen Davis be very supportive of them.” In other news at Wimbledon yesterday, Andre Agassi said Sir Andy Murray must take his time to ease back to his best before returning to grand slam action.

Eight-time major winner Agassi has urged the Scot not to force himself back into frontline action until he is fully back in his prime, as the 31-year-old continues his protracted recovery from longterm hip trouble.

Murray withdrew from Wimbledon the eve of the tournament, forced to admit he was not ready for five-set action.

The two-time Wimbledon winner has not contested a grand slam since last year’s tournament in SW19, and Agassi believes the Scot must continue to curb his enthusiasm.

“I would just hope for him not to push it,” Agassi said. “I would hope he can get back to his best.”

The US Open is the next major, starting in New York on 27 August.

Meanwhile, Rufus the Harris hawk, who is used to keep keep pigeons away from the tennis courts, was in action with his handler Imogen Davis on day two of the Championships.