Australian Open fan left in shock after alleged racial attack in the stands at Melbourne Park: ‘Go back to China’
A tennis fan has allegedly been racially attacked in the stands during the Australian Open with two young children in her presence.
The woman, who goes by the name Joanne on TikTok, posted an image of the couple that allegedly told her to ‘go back to China’ amongst other insults.
Joanne shared the image which showed a bearded man and a woman sitting behind her. The woman is giving her the finger and holding a beer can.
She has alleged the couple racially attacked her because she was adjusting her hair in front of them.
‘On Day 8 of the Australian Open, during the day session, I was seated in Section 7, Row J, for the first match.
‘After sitting down, I felt a bit warm from walking, so I brushed my hair back a few times.
The Australian Open spectator posted this image along with the message below, claiming she was racially vilified
‘The man seated directly behind me spoke to me in a very rude manner and told me to tie my hair up, claiming that my hair had touched his hand.
‘I was upset by his aggressive tone. I responded by suggesting that he check the spectator rules to see whether there was any rule stating that I could not move or adjust my hair.
‘To avoid further conflict, I moved to an empty seat nearby. The man then said, ‘You’d better,’ in a confrontational way.
‘Feeling unfairly treated, I returned to my original seat.’
That is when the situation escalated, with the woman allegedly making a series of racial remarks.
‘At that point, the woman seated behind me escalated the situation and repeatedly said to us. ‘Go back to your country’ and ‘Go back to China,’, Joanne posted.
‘This was extremely offensive and clearly racially discriminatory.
‘Prior to this, the couple had taken photos of me. I asked them to delete the photos, but they refused. As a result, I took photos of them as well.
The tennis fan, known only as Joanne, said the alleged attack happened despite being there with two young children
‘What made this experience even more distressing was that I was accompanied by my 12-year-old son and my friend’s son, who had just arrived from Los Angeles that morning.
‘Being subjected to racial abuse in front of children at an international sporting event like the Australian Open was shocking, upsetting, and completely unacceptable.
‘This is my first post on TikTok. I decided to speak up and share this experience because silence protects the wrong people.
‘I will keep posting my life here. I want my voice to be heard. I will not be silenced.’
Daily Mail has contacted Joanne and Tennis Australia for comment.
It remains unclear if a complaint was made or any action taken in response to the allegations.
However Joanne did post a second image, of Tennis Australia inclusion policies during the Australian Open.
‘A place where everyone is welcome,’ the sign at the Australian Open reads.
‘The AO has zero tolerance for anti-social behaviour including any form of racism, homophobia, sexism and transphobia.
‘If you see or hear anti-social behaviour, report it.’
