Paula Badosa has expressed outrage and devastation after seeing the brutal footage of a female tennis player being assaulted by her father.
The horrific incident occurred in Belgrade, Serbia. A father walked over and began assaulting his daughter. This continued for over a minute and was one of the worst incidents ever seen on a tennis court.
While it is clear the man who committed the assault is a monster, another shocking part of what happened was the incident being filmed without anyone stepping in to help the girl being abused in open sight.
Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka was furious after viewing the incident. She lambasted the man involved and those watching for not doing anything to protect the girl from the assault.
While this was one of the most extreme cases ever seen, coaches mistreating females, in particular, is something that has happened many times in the past, and the WTA Tour needs to stay vigilant to protect its players from something like what was seen on the video.
Like Azarenka, Badosa was stunned after viewing the incident on social media. The Spanish star described herself as heartbroken, asked for the incident to be reported, and sent encouragement to the girl impacted.
"This is crazy!!!!! The worst thing is that it is not the only case in our sport. People putting their f… frustrations on the athlete. Fed up! Please report it! Much encouragement to her. I have a broken heart right now..."
Hopefully, the vile person who carried out the assault will be found and face severe punishment for his crime, and the people who did not help the abused girl will reflect on their actions and see they could have done more.
Incidents like this stain the sport. Everyone should be able to freely play and enjoy tennis without fearing for their safety.