Emma Raducanu said she will be OK after what she called a “difficult experience” related to the presence of a man who had exhibited “fixated behaviour” toward her at the Dubai Championships.
The 2021 U.S. Open champion had approached the chair umpire early in her second-round match against 14th-seeded Karolina Muchova on Tuesday night. She was in tears, and the WTA later linked her reaction to the presence of the unidentified man.
On Wednesday, the 22-year-old British player responded with a statement on her Instagram account.
“Thank you for the messages of support. 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,” Raducanu wrote. “Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”
Raducanu, who was still a teenager in 2022 when a man in Britain was convicted of stalking her, returned to play after a brief delay at 2-0 down and eventually lost 7-6 (6), 6-4 to Muchova.
Early Wednesday, the WTA issued a statement explaining that Raducanu was approached in a public space Monday “by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour” and “this same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday … and subsequently ejected.”
“He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.”
The chair umpire called tournament organizers immediately when Raducanu reported her concerns in the first set of the night match. Muchova walked over to console the 22-year-old player, who was born in Toronto but moved with her family to Britain at a young age.
Raducanu then picked up a towel, wiped her face, nodded and continued the match. She didn’t immediately comment on the incident.
The WTA said it was working with Raducanu and her team “to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support.”
Raducanu rose to fame in 2021 by winning the U.S. Open as a 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.
Dabrowski, Routliffe eliminated in doubles
Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand were eliminated from women’s doubles competition with a 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 loss to the Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova and Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in second-round action.
Noskova and Putintseva dominated the tiebreak after winning the second set against the second-seeded team to even the match.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won just one of six service points and one of four return points in the tiebreak.
The pair struggled after winning a comfortable first set in which they didn’t face break point while converting one of the seven break chances they had against Noskova and Putintseva.
Dabrowski and Routliffe have lost both their matches since advancing to the semifinals of the Australian Open last month.
The reigning WTA Finals doubles champions had a bye in the first round in Dubai.
