Emma Raducanu has been targeted by a man who exhibited “fixated behavior” towards her in a public place ahead of her second-round match at the Dubai Championships against Karolina Muchova.
Raducanu was left in tears and forced to take an unscheduled break during the match after the man was spotted sitting in the first few rows.
The British tennis star walked up to the umpire after the second game of the match, said a few words and then stood in a small space between the back of the official’s chair and barrier netting.
The umpire immediately called tournament organisers, and Muchova walked over to console the 22-year-old.
The man was subsequently ejected.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) says the man will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.
The organisation added that it was working with Raducanu and her team “to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support”.
She went on to lose the match to Muchova 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.
Raducanu rose to fame in 2021 by winning the U.S. Open as an 18-year-old unseeded qualifier, one of the the most unlikely achievements in tennis.
She hasn’t advanced past the third round at a major since then and has spent long stints recovering from injuries.
In 2022, whilst Raducanu was still a teenager, a man in the UK was handed a five-year restraining order for stalking her after walking 23 miles to her family home.
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