As assailant Mihai Barbat and daughter Karen flee toward the Danish boarder, beaten Dutch tennis player Elise Tamaela remains in a hospital in Germany, recovering from the concussion and facial swelling she suffered as a result of the attack Monday in Versmold.
Elise Tamaela Recovers From Mihai Barbat’s Physical And Verbal Assault In German Hospital
Tamaela’s mother, Corrie, recounted the racial epithets that Barbat directed at her daughter’s skin color before he directed his aim at her head. She told Omroep Gelderland (a Dutch radio network) that he had called her daughter “black chickie” as their conflict escalated.
Though she stated that her daughter is now doing better, Corrie still (obviously) wants Barbat brought to justice.
"It was wrong to walk away," she said. "That man is just a criminal."
Asked for comment on the incident by SB Nation, tournament officials in Versmold directed matters to law enforcement.
“[T]here was an incident involving a player, however the matter is now with the police and therefore, any queries should be directed to the police department,” wrote Jan Miska of the Reinert Open Press Office in an email.
Other players have began to show their support for Elise Tamaela on Twitter, including current Dutch No. 3 (ATP No. 115) Thomas Schoorel, who tweeted (translated from Dutch) “You can now no longer encourage in tennis without anything happening! Strength, Elise and recovery!”
Tamaela, a 27-year-old lefty who prefers playing on clay, reached a career-high WTA ranking of No. 129 in February of 2007. She is currently ranked No. 363.
Stay tuned to SB Nation’s tennis coverage at SBNation.com/tennis as well as on Twitter, @DailyForehand .
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