Emma Raducanu was disturbed by a man who showed “fixated behavior” during her Dubai second-round match, which led to the WTA banning the person in question from attending all tournaments.
After falling down 2-0 to Karolina Muchova, a scared Raducanu was seen in tears while talking with the chair umpire.
Moments later, the umpire alerted tournament officials, who came out to the court.
As it was happening, the Czech tennis star tried to console the 22-year-old.
Later, it was revealed that the 2021 US Open champion was approached by a man in Dubai.
Then against Muchova, that same person showed up sitting in the front rows.
After the incident, the person in question was removed from the stands and the match continued.
The WTA statement on the Raducanu situation in Dubai
“Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behavior,” the WTA said.
“This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and subsequently ejected. He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.
“Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events.
“The WTA is actively working with Emma and her team to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support.
“We remain committed to collaborating with tournaments and their security teams worldwide to maintain a safe environment for all players.”
WTA explains why Emma Raducanu was in tears during her second-round match at the #DDFTennis.
A clip showed her explaining the situation to the umpire. Before hiding behind the umpire seat. https://t.co/hw1P1pEYAz pic.twitter.com/YuqfLO4odq
— Victor Okechukwu (@Uzochuwu1) February 19, 2025
When the match resumed, Muchova went on to open a 4-0 lead but Raducanu managed to get back into the first set before ultimately losing it via a tie-break.
In the end, the Czech completed a 7-6 (6) 6-4 win.
A couple of years ago, the Briton was also stalked at her London house – that happened shortly after her 2021 US Open win.
At the time, the police did their job and that was quickly resolved.