By Adrianna Outlaw
© Tony Chang/Chang Photography
(January 25, 2011) Melbourne police are investigating a family member of French player Aravane Rezai for "a serious safety matter."
The alleged offense occurred on Tuesday, January 18th - the second day of the Australian Open.
"Police are investigating an alleged incident involving a 23-year-old woman," a police spokeswoman told the Melbourne Herald Sun.
The WTA announced it has banned a Rezai family member from the Tour, but did not name the family member. Rezai's father has had run-ins with French federation officials in the past.
"A serious safety matter has been brought to the WTA's attention, which has resulted in a family member of Aravane Rezai being indefinitely suspended from all future WTA events pending our investigation," the WTA said in a statement. "In respect of the privacy of the player involved, the WTA is not in a position to comment further on the details of the matter."
On her website, Rezai says (which has been translated from French to English), "These days, exaggerated and inaccurate information was relayed by some media about me and my family. Accordingly, I would like to clarify the following: I am disappointed by my recent results. Accordingly, I would get more involved in my career and I will work with members of my team to build the structure that is best for me. Regarding the statements made about my family, most are inaccurate and unfounded. Family disagreements are not rare things and my family is very important to me. I'm going to point again on my tournament schedule in the weeks to come but, by mutual agreement with my team, I decided not to attend the next meeting of the Fed Cup as well as Open GDF SUEZ. I am continuing my training program and hopes to return to competition in the near future. In the meantime, I ask the media to please respect my privacy and that of my family"
The 17th-seeded Rezai lost in the first round in Australia. Rezai has now pulled out of the Fed Cup, facing Russia on February 5-6, and the Open GDF Suez.