Footage from the incident shows the former US Open champion hiding behind the umpire’s chair.
Emma Raducanu was brought to tears during her Dubai Tennis Championships match against Karolina Muchová on Tuesday, after a man in the crowd exhibited “fixated behaviour” towards the star.
The 22-year-old started hiding behind the umpire’s chair two games into her match against Muchová, with play stopped as she discussed the situation with the official.
A man was eventually removed from the court, with Raducanu appearing to use a towel to wipe away tears before returning to the match.
WTA explains why Emma Raducanu was in tears during her second-round match at the #DDFTennis.
— Victor Okechukwu (@Uzochuwu1) February 19, 2025
A clip showed her explaining the situation to the umpire. Before hiding behind the umpire seat. https://t.co/hw1P1pEYAz pic.twitter.com/YuqfLO4odq
The man who was removed had reportedly given the Bromley native a letter the day before, and was then spotted in the front few rows of the crowd early into Tuesday’s match.
Raducanu addressed the incident on Instagram on Wednesday, assuring fans that she will “be okay”.
“Thank you for the messages of support,” she wrote. “Difficult experience 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 [Muchova] for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”
Along with her message she posted an image of the Jane Austen novel Emma and a cup of coffee.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) statement said: “On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour.
“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.”
In 2022, a 35-year-old man was handed a five-year restraining order – after a court heard Raducanu was “constantly looking over her shoulder” and no longer felt “safe in her own home”.
Amrit Magar had walked 23 miles to Emma’s home and had stolen her father’s shoe as a souvenir.
Magar was found to have stalked the 19-year-old tennis star for months, having visited her London home on multiple occasions in December, leaving cards and messages for her to find – one note read: “you deserve love”.
