Tennis player Kylie McKenzie to sue USTA after accusing former coach of sexual assault

Tennis player Kylie McKenzie has announced she will sue the United States Tennis Association (USTA) for failing to protect her from sexual harassment by former coach Anibal Aranda.

Aranda joined the USTA's player development team back in 2014 as a national coach for women's tennis. He was later assigned as a coach and trainer to McKenzie, who, as a junior, won the Tennis National Championships and was ranked as high as No. 33. Aranda was eventually fired by the USTA after being employed for seven years.

In a press conference announcing her lawsuit on Tuesday, McKenzie gave a stirring account of her experiences of sexual abuse by Aranda, revealing how he touched her inappropriately when she was 19 years of age. When news of McKenzie's allegations against Aranda surfaced, another person accused him of sexual misconduct.

Kylie McKenzie alleges the USTA assigned Anibal Aranda to her entourage despite knowing of his history as a sexual predator. SafeSport, an organization specializing in investigations of sexual and physical abuse in American sports, concluded that Aranda was indeed guilty of harassing McKenzie and stripped him of his coaching duties for two years.

Kylie McKenzie announces her lawsuit against the USTA at a press conference in Arizona on Tuesday

Robert Allard, McKenzie's lawyer in the lawsuit, accused Aranda of groping his client under the pretext of teaching her new training techniques.

"Aranda groped and sexually touched Kylie practically all over her body under the argument that they were new training techniques," Allard said. "After weeks of harassment, Aranda swooped in, violating the most private part of Kylie's body. That's when Kylie walked away from this man as fast as she could."

McKenzie explained how the harassment affected her mental health and subsequently her game for months, resulting in depression and regular panic attacks.

"I grew up in the USTA system and trusted them," Kylie McKenzie said. "I was hoping they would take this more seriously, but I was wrong...It has been damaging to me as a person and as a player."

"More than 3 years ago, Ms. McKenzie reported an incident and that report was treated with utmost seriousness" - USTA spokesperson

In response to the lawsuit, USTA's spokesman Chris Widmaier asserted that Kylie McKenzie's report from three years ago had been treated with the "utmost urgency." He explained that the sporting body extended its complete cooperation to SafeSport during its investigation.

His statement also pointed out that Anibal Aranda was suspended immediately after McKenzie submitted the report and has since been barred from entering any of the USTA's centers.

"More than three years ago, Ms. McKenzie reported an incident and that report was treated with the utmost seriousness and urgency," Widmaier said in a statement. "The USTA immediately notified the United States Sports Safety Center and cooperated in a full and thorough investigation of the incident . The USTA suspended the offender the same day as the report and has since not allowed him to return to the property or to any USTA-sponsored function or event."