A senior Dutch tennis coach has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting two male professional players.

The coach has not been named, but NOS said he was a former player who had previously been ranked in the world’s top 100. The alleged victims have filed formal police complaints.

He was involved in coaching professional and promising amateur players at all levels, from youth to seniors, until police became involved a month ago, NOS quoted his club as saying.

A spokesman for the public prosecution service said the coach had been released by a magistrate under strict conditions, including a contact ban, while the criminal investigation continues.

Annemiek van Spanje, the lawyer for the two men, said they had not taken the decision to go to police lightly, given the potential public interest.

‘They believed they had to go through with it nonetheless, in part to prevent other young tennis players becoming victims of sexual abuse,’ she said.

Jacco Eltingh, a former tennis pro and technical director at the Dutch lawn tennis association KNLTB, said he had talked to several other coaches about the situation.

‘It was important for us to tell at first hand what was going on,’ he said. ‘Some details about this issue were known within the tennis world and that had led to rumours.’