During a recent tournament, British tennis star Emma Raducanu encountered a distressing situation involving a man who seemed fixated on her during a match. Raducanu, who won the 2021 U.S. Open, described the unsettling experience she faced at the Dubai Championships. She recounted being so overwhelmed with emotion that she “couldn’t see the ball through tears” and was struggling to breathe.
The encounter occurred last month, when Raducanu noticed the individual in the audience while she was competing against Karolina Muchova in a second-round match. Despite his previous attempts to approach her earlier during the tournament, it wasn’t until she notified the chair umpire that the man was subsequently removed from the arena. The Dubai police later detained the man, during which he signed a document agreeing to “maintain distance” from Raducanu. The WTA noted his behavior as “fixated.”
Reflecting on the incident at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Raducanu expressed her profound distress, admitting that seeing the man in the match’s first game left her questioning her ability to continue. Ultimately, despite the man being removed and her attempts to regroup, Raducanu lost the match 7-6, 6-4.
“It was a very emotional time,” Raducanu shared, revealing that the events led to a post-match breakdown, though the tears reflected more than just the loss. She further commented to the BBC about the handling of the incident, suggesting it “could have been dealt with better,” but she noted that security measures have since improved.
Increasing her vigilance, Raducanu mentioned that she’s now more cautious about being alone, ensuring she is always accompanied or observed. This incident is reminiscent of a prior situation in 2022, where an obsessive fan was legally restrained after visiting her home repeatedly.
Looking ahead at the Indian Wells tournament, Raducanu is set to face Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, ranked 52nd worldwide, in the first round on Thursday. A victory would pit her against the tournament’s third-seeded Coco Gauff, as the top 32 seeded players have byes into the second round.
