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Miami Open: Caroline Wozniacki says crowd threatened family

By Alex Butler

March 25 (UPI) -- Tennis star Caroline Wozniacki took to Twitter after being eliminated from the Miami Open, claiming the crowd threatened to kill her family.

Wozniacki was booted from the tournament on Friday, losing in three sets to Monica Puig.

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"Last night I lost a tough match to a great opponent and friend Monica Puig," Wozniacki said in a statement on social media. "I am fully aware that tennis is a game of wins and losses. However, during the match last night people in the crowd threatened my family, wished death threats on my mom and dad, called me names that I can't repeat here and told my fiance's niece and nephew [who are 10 years old] to sit down and shut the [expletive] up, meanwhile security and staff did nothing to prevent this and even accepted this to take place."

"While I always encourage fans to cheer for their favorite player, and I thrive on a challenging atmosphere, when certain lines are crossed, it makes tennis miserable for both competitors."

"I hope the Miami Open chooses to take this seriously because its a horrible example to set for the next generation of tennis players and fans. I wish Monica all the best for the reset of the tournament."

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Wozniacki's fiancé, former NBA star David Lee, also commented on the exchanges.

"Disgusting atmosphere, hope something can be done to prevent this from happening again," Lee tweeted.

James Blake, the Miami Open tournament director, issued a statement on Saturday afternoon to address the situation.

"The security of the players is our No. 1 priority," he said. "Last night's match between Caroline and Monica was played in front of a loud and passionate crowd. While I personally feel that no one should have to endure any sort of abuse on the court, we do our best to provide a safe and fair environment."

"During the match, we had tournament and WTA staff as well as tournament security outside. They never witnessed, nor were they notified of any specific threats made to the players or their families. If we had been notified, the situation would have been handled immediately."

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