Hi,
I highly…read morerecommend reading this email in its entirety, as I am writing genuinely for the benefit and protection of your tournament--not out of malice, frustration, or an attempt to challenge a match result.
I'm reaching out as a business-to-business courtesy regarding an incident during this evening's matches, shortly before the official lightning and rain delay was called.
A player in your tournament, who is a minor, asked whether play could be stopped because the court had become wet and slippery and lightning was visibly striking overhead. The opposing player also attempted to address the court conditions, yet those concerns were disregarded.
Rather than stopping to assess the conditions or even allowing both players to fully voice their concerns, the referee repeatedly pointed toward the court and spoke to the player in a manner demanding that she continue playing. The player subsequently lost a point after being unable to safely run for a ball on the wet court. Only moments later, play was officially suspended because of the rain and lightning.
To be very clear, we are not contacting you to dispute the point or the outcome. That is not the purpose of this email. Our concern is specifically the referee's judgment, conduct, and disregard for the safety concerns being raised by both players.
From a professional standpoint, this is concerning from both a safety and liability perspective. Consider, hypothetically, that this interaction may have been captured on video: a minor expressing that she did not feel safe because of visible lightning and slippery court conditions, the opposing player also attempting to raise concerns, and an official nevertheless repeatedly directing her to continue playing. If an injury had occurred immediately afterward, such a recording could present a particularly concerning account of how clearly communicated safety concerns were handled and could expose the tournament and those responsible for the event to significant scrutiny and potential liability.
That hypothetical alone demonstrates why this should be taken seriously. A tournament should never be in a position where a recording could show a minor raising an immediate safety concern, having that concern dismissed, and being directed to continue competing in potentially dangerous conditions.
This is not about winning or losing a point. It is about ensuring that young players can raise legitimate safety concerns without being ignored, intimidated, or pressured to continue.
Thankfully, nobody was injured. I'm bringing this directly to your attention because I believe addressing the referee's conduct and reinforcing appropriate safety procedures now is far preferable to having a similar situation result in an avoidable injury in the future.
