By Rory Carroll
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sexual abuse of young female players by older male coaches happens “right and left” on the WTA Tour and safeguarding against it must be a priority, Victoria Azarenka said at the U.S. Open on Saturday.
Azarenka’s remarks to reporters came after Pierre Bouteyre, the former coach of French player Fiona Ferro, was charged in France on Thursday with raping and sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager between 2012 and 2015, according to AFP.
Bouteyre’s lawyer told AFP that a relationship had occurred but denied any coercion. The lawyer said the 50-year-old Bouteyre described the relationship as “a true love story.”
Azarenka, who sits on the eight-person players council, said that combating abuse was the group’s top priority.
“We see those vulnerable young ladies that getting taken advantage of in different situations,” she said.
“It’s really sad and really makes me emotional… and if I had a daughter, I would have a question would she want to play tennis, that would be a very big concern in that way for me,” she said.
Former number one Azarenka, who reached the tournament’s fourth round on Saturday, applauded Ferro for her bravery in speaking out.
Ferro, 25, won two WTA titles and reached as high as world number 39 last year but is currently ranked 259 and lost during tournament qualifiers last week.
“I hope this situation she’s gonna come out of it stronger and tennis is not ruined for her because of that,” she said.
Azarenka implored journalists at the press conference to do their part to expose abuse.
“Do the research, help people to open up more,” she said.
“Hopefully one by one try to eliminate those types of situations.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in New York; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
