KATIE BOULTER was threatened by a tennis fan at an event in Nottingham.

The British No.1 is two-time defending champion at the LTA-run tournament.

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Hideous harassment of tennis players has come under the microscope this week, after Emma Raducanu was targeted by a “fixated man” in Dubai.

In December, Boulter recounted her own awful experience in Nottingham, the nearest event to her hometown Leicester.

She revealed: “One time in Nottingham, I had someone messaging me on social media saying: ‘I’m outside. I’m going to hurt you if you come outside.’

“Obviously I alerted the WTA, and they found the guy, who was actually on site. Things like this happen all the time.

“Obviously we are very well protected, which makes you feel safe. The WTA does a great job of being there for you with that.

“I do feel like we are protected as much as possible, which at least puts your mind at ease a little bit.”

Boulter has been in a relationship with Aussie Alex de Minaur since 2020, with the pair announcing their engagement last December.

When picking up De Minaur during the ATP event in Queen’s last year, Boulter endured further harassment.

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“I had someone follow me in the car,” she said. “We went to Sloane Square, got out, went for a walk around the shops and stuff and the same car was following me home.

“I was with Alex, so it was absolutely fine, but yeah, it wasn’t the best feeling.”

Such experiences have become depressingly routine for Boulter, who went on to add: “It’s kind of normal nowadays. It’s a weird world sometimes.”

Raducanu notified the WTA earlier this week after a “fixated man” handed her a note in Dubai.

The same individual appeared at her second round match with Karolina Muchova on Tuesday night, with a tearful Raducanu hiding behind the umpire’s chair as the man was ejected.

Raducanu later released a statement on social media, which read: “Thank you for the messages of support.

‘I’LL BE OKAY’

“Difficult experience yesterday but I’ll be okay and proud of how I came back and competed despite what happened at the start of the match.

“Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”

Raducanu’s harrowing experience prompted world No.14 Mirra Andreeva to open up on an ordeal she endured aged just 14.

The Russian, now 17, added: “After every loss I think every player receives a bunch of hateful messages.

“I remember once when I was young, when I was 14-years-old, I was playing one of my first ITF tournaments, and I received a message after my loss that said: ‘Look around because I’m going to find you and I’m going to cut your arms.’

“That was still the one that I remember to this day.”

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