Emma Raducanu has thanked those who’ve delivered messages of support after she had to deal with a stalker.
The former US Open champion was reduced to tears after she was approached by a man showing ‘fixated behaviour’ at a recent match. The 22-year-old was competing at the Dubai Tennis Championships when she became unnerved by a spectator in the stands, who had approached her in a public area earlier on in the week.
Raducanu was seen wiping away tears with a towel before speaking to the umpire during a break in play as opponent Karolina Muchova went over to check on the Brit before the match resumed, with Raducanu hailing her for being “a great sport”.
She said on Instagram : “Thank you for the messages of support. Difficult day yesterday but I’ll be okay and proud of how I came back and competed despite what happened at the start of the match.Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) have now released a statement, revealing the man was ejected from the stands and banned after he was seen watching Raducanu’s match against Muchova.
“On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour,” they 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.”
Raducanu continued playing after the man was ejected, but was ultimately beaten 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 by Muchova.
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) said they have been in contact with Raducanu and her team in Dubai.
They said: “This incident once again highlights issues around safety that all players, but female players in particular, can face. The tours have strong processes in place already and we will continue to work together along with police and security providers to deal with situations like this robustly.”
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