Eastbourne Open: LTA apologises to teetotaller allegedly denied re-entry for looking 'worse for wear'

Suzanne Jay, a retired teacher, said she tried to return to the event at Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club at 7:45pm on Monday, June 22, having attended earlier that day.

Ms Jay, who said she does not drink, alleged staff approached her at a security desk and said she had ‘been caught on camera’ and was ‘looking a bit worse for wear’.

The 68-year-old did not re-enter the event that evening with play concluding just after 8pm, despite possessing a wristband – an experience she claimed was ‘rather humiliating’.

But now the LTA has written to apologise to Ms Jay and offered her and her husband free tickets to next year’s Eastbourne Open.

A spokesperson for the tennis organisation said: “The LTA was not aware of this incident before it was bought to our attention by the customer’s husband after the tournament.

“As soon as we became aware of their complaint we undertook an internal enquiry that included reviewing CCTV and taking relevant statements from witnesses.

“The investigation found that the correct process had not been followed by the relevant teams in this case.

“We have written to the customer and her husband apologising for this and have offered them complimentary tickets to next year’s event.

“Whilst we believe this was an isolated incident, we have incorporated learnings from the incident into our staff training for future years, and thank the complainants for bringing this to our attention.”

Ms Jay had previously said she ‘wouldn’t bother’ returning to the event in the future.

Ms Jay’s husband David, who was previously a member at Devonshire Park, commented on whether he will return to the Eastbourne Open in the future, he said: “I certainly have second thoughts about it, put it that way.”

The event is scheduled to take place between Saturday, June 19 and Saturday, June 26 next year, with play starting at 11am each day.