Once US Open Champion Emma Raducanu Said she was suffering a physical reaction to the Dubai championships last month after being confronted by a man who was “fixed” on the young tennis star, which eventually resulted in him being detained by local law enforcement.
Raducanu, 22, remembered the intense situation by GDP Paribas Open In Indian Wells, her first tournament took place since the incident.
Emma Raducanu celebrates during his match against Amanda Anisimova at the Australian Open in Melbourne Park on January 16, 2025. (Mike Frey-Preferred Pictures)
“I was obviously very confused,” Raducanu said.
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“I saw him in the first match of the match and I was like ‘I don’t know how to end.’ I literally couldn’t see the ball through tears.
WTA explained in a statement at the time that “a man who exhibited fixed behavior” approached Raducanu in a public space. The next day, the same man was discovered on his fight 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 these meetings.
Emma Raducanu plays a pre -handed -backed for Iga Swatek at the Australian Open in Melbourne, January 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, File)
US Open Champ Emma Raducanu breaks silent
“After Raducanus’s complaint, the Dubai police detained a tourist who approached her, left her a note, took her photograph and dealt with behavior that caused her distress during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships,” the statement reads.
According to to Reuters, The man approached her twice from the field in Dubai and had previously been discovered at tournaments in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha in previous weeks.
The man who has not yet been identified was later detained, but Raducanu chose to drop the charges against him.
Emma Raducanu during his match against Amanda Anisimova at the Australian Open on January 16, 2025. (Mike Frey-Preferred Pictures)
“It was a very emotional time,” she added. “After the match, I broke down in tears, but not necessarily because I lost.”
The man was banned by the WTA from all future tournaments “pending a pantry assessment.”
Raducanu received a five-year detention order against a man in London in 2022 after he was found guilty of pursuing her. The man showed up in her home on several occasions, leaving unwanted gifts. She was 19 at the time.
Raducana faces Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in her first tournament since the incident Thursday.
