Former tennis player Andrew Castle has spoken about the possibility of historical sex abuses occurring in tennis after a recent scandal has caused mayhem in another sport.
The English Football Association is currently conducting an investigation into multiple allegations of sex abuses by former coaches in the game. The revelations started when former Sheffield United player Andy Woodward went public about the abuse he received whilst at Crewe Alexandra aged between 11-15. Since then, more players have spoken out about the sex abuse they suffered. Currently 55 league and non-league football teams are being investigated by the police over the scandal.
In the wake of the revelations, fears has mounted about similar situations occurring in other sports, one of which include tennis. Castle played on the professional circuit throughout the 1980’s and early 1990’s. Now a presenter for LBC Radio, the 53-year-old recently spoke out about his suspicions.
“We used to talk in changing rooms and with each other about and you would say and there would be knowing glances that somebody was a bit of a wrong ‘un.”
“That was just what people lived with it was the culture of the time. There’s no way I can name names now. There’s no way that even back then I could have pointed the finger and said, that person isn’t right.”
“I wouldn’t have done that publicly because it would have shattered their reputation and it would have cast aspersions on them and their character.”
“Have I got specific examples, was I abused myself. No. Did I hear about things, did we think people weren’t right in the game. Absolutely.”
One unnamed person Castle spoke about was an occasional tennis coach. The former British number one claims that the individual made his students undress in front of him.
“There was one PE teacher who use to coach a little bit of tennis and he earned a sports shop as well. I knew full well that he uses to make young boys take their clothes off in front of him.” Castle said.
Castle’s comments come a week after the National Association for People Abused in Childhood told The Telegraph that it had anecdotal evidence of child abuse in tennis, which had not been properly dealt with.
On December 3rd the NSPCC confirmed that they have received 860 calls within the first week of a newly dedicated phone line being created specifically for allegations of sex abuse in football. It is unconfirmed if any of those calls concern other sports.
Since the sex abuse scandal in football, there has been no public report of a similar incident occurring in tennis.
