Emma Raducanu superfan ‘kicked out’ of Australian Open by police for being ‘too rowdy’

Ewan West 24 Jan 2026 5:00 PM

Emma Raducanu plays a shot

A tennis superfan Emma Raducanu invited to her matches at the Australian Open was “kicked out” of the tournament by police for being “too rowdy.”

The spectator in question is James Bray from Sydney, who drew attention for his vociferous support for Raducanu during her opening round win over Mananchaya Sawangkaew in Melbourne.

Bray was heard shouting “Go Raddo” during the match, and Raducanu addressed his support in her on-court interview.

“Raddo apparently is my new nickname. I’ve never heard that one before, so pretty original,” Raducanu said.

“It was great to have that support. I said he can come to any match, so I just need to try and locate him. I hope he comes back!”

Raducanu was true to her word as Bray revealed on social media that the 2021 US Open winner’s team gifted him tickets to watch her second round match against Anastasia Potapova.

As well as Raducanu, Bray has supported his Australian compatriots at Melbourne Park, and he was cheering on world No 6 Alex de Minaur in his third round win over Frances Tiafoe.

Bray was not able to see de Minaur complete his victory, though, as he was ejected from Rod Laver Arena by security.

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Bray took to Instagram to reveal he had been removed from the match and said he had paid $700 (around £350) for his ticket.

“So we’ve got the police here, unfortunately I’ve been kicked out of the Australian Open because I’ve been too rowdy,” said Bray.

“I feel like everything was going well. I wasn’t disrespectful at all. I was just cheering on him (de Minaur) like I would genuinely cheer on any Australian on any court.

“For some reason, security came up to me and said, ‘Sorry mate, you’ve been warned, you need to leave.’ It’s a bit of a weird one. I feel like I wasn’t doing anything bad.”

Australian Open organisers Tennis Australia addressed the incident in a statement: “Security received a number of complaints from fans in Rod Laver Arena last night relating to the disruptive behaviour of an individual in the crowd.

“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.

“He was directed to leave the precinct and not return for 24 hours. He has not been banned from the event.”