Junior tennis serves up a horror show

John McEnroe had members of the All England Club choking on their strawberries and cream in the 1980s. More recently Andy Murray's approach to the game has irked some traditionalists. But the behaviour of tennis's greats seems positively angelic when compared with what is going on in the junior game. A shocking picture of the British children's tennis circuit has been painted by two of the game's former leading ladies.

At courts across the country there are screams and foul-mouthed eruptions – and that's the parents. Indeed, the atmosphere has become so toxic that ex-stars have raised fears of players being stabbed or struck on court.

Annabel Croft, a former Wimbledon junior champion, described the scene as a "really nasty world", full of "parents screaming" and children buckling under intense pressure.

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Croft, who said her daughter quit because she didn't like the junior tennis scene, claimed she had seen "some horrendous cheating" when attending tournaments with her daughter.

She was supported by Jo Durie, another former British No 1, who called on the Lawn Tennis Association to investigate the "appalling" behaviour across the junior circuit, "before someone ends up getting really hurt".

"Is it going to end up with someone being stabbed? Or hit?" Durie said yesterday. "I think the LTA should investigate this and monitor what's going on in the game at junior level, because some of it is absolutely appalling. We need more supervisors at tournaments. We're seeing physical violence, pushing and shoving. It's so out of hand it's scary."

Croft said she had witnessed disturbing levels of cheating. "I saw one kid who was calling balls out on a second serve that were in," she said. "He was just screaming 'Out!', or 'Double Fault!' or '15-40' before the ball had landed a foot in. Meanwhile the boy who was being cheated was bursting into tears, and the little boy who was cheating is saying to his dad, who's on the baseline, 'Dad, that was out was it?' That sort of thing goes on all the time."

Croft said it was impossible for referees to monitor so many different games at once. And the children, who range in age from seven to 16, were put under "the most incredibly intense pressure".

"Tennis is a very intense sport; each match is a very emotional thing, with several high-pressure moments. Each match can be like a three-hour rollercoaster, with really emotional high and low points."

Croft said emotions often boiled over on the sidelines. "I saw parents screaming at referees. I had parents screaming at me, at each other, at their children, at other kids. I didn't really like the scene – it's nasty, tough, incredibly emotional. I think my daughter just wasn't cut out for it; she's incredibly laid back. Either you're cut out for it or you're not – if you're rather sensitive it's not really for you."

A spokeswoman for the LTA refused to comment on Durie's call for an investigation but said: "Like many other sports we are aware that there can be problems with cheating and misbehaviour."

She added: "It is the responsibility of all those involved in tennis to try and overcome this. We are currently putting in place a programme that covers these issues among others, including better supporting our tournament organisers and educating players and parents, as part of our drive to get more juniors playing and competing."

A leading referee on the junior girls' circuit claimed the behaviour described by Durie and Croft was "the exception rather than the rule". But she added: "You find youngsters playing under huge expectations and often with their parents watching from close by. There is cheating and there are lots of rumblings from behind the baseline."

The revelations came on the day that 14-year-old Laura Robson became the youngest Briton to compete in a main tour event.

Robson, who this summer was the first Briton to win the girls' title at Wimbledon since 1984 – when Croft lifted the trophy – lost to the world No 42 Iveta Benesova in Luxembourg. Having been given a wild card to enter the Fortis Championships, Robson lost 1-6 6-2 6-3.