An Australian Open superfan who went viral earlier in the tournament for his unique support for Emma Raducanu has now again caused some controversy after being kicked out of Rod Laver Arena during Alex de Minaur’s straight-sets win over Frances Tiafoe in the third round.
Australian Open Superfan Removed from Alex De Minaur vs. Frances Tiafoe Match Amid Complaints
The superfan’s name is James Bray and he is saying that he “wants some answers” after security and police escorted him out of the arena on Friday night for what officials called “disruptive” behavior. Bray posted a video of the incident on Instagram Story, where he can be seen speaking with authorities as they told him he had been given a 24-hour ban from the Australian Open grounds.
“Unfortunately I’ve been kicked out of the Australian Open because I’ve been too rowdy. I was cheering him (de Minaur), not disrespectful at all, I wasn’t cheering in between double faults or in between serves,” Bray said. He also mentioned that he had paid $700 for his ticket.
“I was just cheering him on like I would any Australian on any court and for some reason security came up to me and said ‘sorry mate, you’ve been warned, you need to leave,'” he said.
Bray called the situation “a bit weird,” and said that the fans around him seemed to enjoy his energy. “The people next to me were loving it, Demon was loving it. I feel like Tiafoe’s a legend, he loves it too. So I don’t know what the issue was,” he said. He also mentioned that he plans to contact the officials, “I’ll be reaching out, I want some answers.”
However, Tennis Australia shared a different version of events in a statement to Wide World of Sports. “Security received a number of complaints from fans in Rod Laver Arena last night relating to the disruptive behavior of an individual in the crowd,” the organization stated.
“Despite multiple warnings from staff, he refused to modify his behaviour and continued to disrupt those around him. Police were called to assist security speaking with the patron who disregarded advice to minimise his disruptive behaviour,” Tennis Australia added.
Bray was told to leave the venue for 24 hours. Tennis Australia confirmed that he has not been fully banned from the tournament.
James Bray Gave Emma Raducanu a Unique Nickname
The incident happened just days after Bray made some headlines for his support of Raducanu. It makes his removal from the crowd even more surprising for fans who had enjoyed his actions earlier in the week.
During Raducanu’s first-round win over Mananchaya Sawangkaew, Bray kept cheering for her and came up with a nickname, “Raddo.” Raducanu even mentioned him in her post-match interview. “Thank you to the support, I think it was incredible on both sides, and a particular shoutout to ‘Raddo,’ apparently, is my new nickname,” she said.
She also invited him to future matches. “You’re invited for every match, just let me know, let my agent know, and you’re here.” She even wrote “Raddo” on a camera lens as she walked off the court.
Raducanu’s team did find him. Bray later shared that her agent contacted him and gave him tickets to her later matches in Melbourne. Bray has since updated his Instagram bio to “Australia’s Number One Tennis Fan.”
