One-time U.S Open champion Emma Raducanu said she suffered a physical reaction at the Dubai championships last month after being confronted by a man that was “fixated” on the young tennis star, eventually resulting in him being detained by local law enforcement.
Raducanu, 22, recalled the intense situation at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, her first tournament since the incident took place.
Emma Raducanu celebrates during her match against Amanda Anisimova at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Jan. 16, 2025. (Mike Frey-Imagn Images)
“I was obviously very distraught,” Raducanu said.
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“I saw him in the first game of the match and I was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to finish.’ I literally couldn’t see the ball through tears. I could barely breathe. I was like, ‘I need to just take a breather here.'”
The WTA explained in a statement at the time that “a man who exhibited fixated behavior” approached Raducanu in a public space. The following day, that same man was spotted at her match in the first few rows.
According to the Government of Dubai Media Office, the man “left her a note” and also took a photograph of her during one of those encounters.
Emma Raducanu plays a forehand return to Iga Swiatek at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, File)
US OPEN CHAMP EMMA RADUCANU BREAKS SILENCE ON ‘DIFFICULT EXPERIENCE’ WITH ‘FIXATED’ FAN AT DUBAI CHAMPIONSHIPS
“Following Raducanu’s complaint, Dubai Police detained a tourist who approached her, left her a note, took her photograph, and engaged in behaviour that caused her distress during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships,” the statement read.
According to Reuters, the man approached her twice off the court in Dubai and had been previously spotted at tournaments in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha in the preceding weeks.
The man, who has yet to be identified, was later detained but Raducanu opted to drop the charges against him.
Emma Raducanu during her match against Amanda Anisimova at the Australian Open on Jan. 16, 2025. (Mike Frey-Imagn Images)
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“It was a very emotional time,” she added. “After the match I did break down in tears, but not necessarily because I lost.”
The man was banned by the WTA from all future tournaments “pending a threat assessment.”
Raducanu was given a five-year restraining order against a man in London in 2022 after he was found guilty of stalking her. The man appeared at her home on several occasions and left unwanted gifts. She was 19 at the time.
Raducana will face Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in her first tournament since the incident on Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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