Emma Raducanu is back smiling on court two weeks after ‘fixated stalker’ ordeal in Dubai – as Brit prepares to return to action at Indian Wells
Emma Raducanu was seen smiling on court as she prepares to return to action at Indian Wells next week.
Raducanu, 22, has not played since she suffered a traumatic meeting with a stalker at the Dubai Open last month.
In Dubai, a man exhibiting ‘fixated behaviour’ approached Raducanu near her hotel, handing her a letter containing his contact details and taking a photo.
When the man – who Raducanu has seen several times before – appeared in the crowd at her next match, she burst into tears and hid behind the umpire’s chair while he was removed.
The man – not a British national and described as a tourist – was detained by local police but Raducanu dropped charges after he signed a restraining order.
Raducanu, who lost the aforementioned match in straight sets to Karolina Muchova, subsequently returned London where she has been recovering from the horrible experience.
Emma Raducanu was seen smiling on court as she prepares to return to action at Indian Wells
Raducanu posed with Tommy Haas, a former pro, who is tournament director of Indian Wells
Raducanu hasn’t been in action since she broke down in tears at the Dubai Open last month
Mail Sport reported on Thursday that Raducanu was set to return to action at Indian Wells – and the 22-year-old has been offered additional protection at the event in Palm Springs, California, with up to five security officers to escort her around the site.
And, on Friday night, the official X account of the event – which is known as the BNP Paribas Open for sponsorship reasons – shared two shots of Raducanu smiling in the build-up to the tournament.
In the photos, which seemed to be at a practice session, Raducanu could been seen laughing in a great sign for fans of the Brit.
In one, she was posing with Tommy Haas, a former German professional, who is now tournament director of Indian Wells, while in the other she was sitting down.
Since her Dubai ordeal, Raducanu has not been seen practicing at the National Tennis Centre but after some consideration decided to get straight back to the tour for what is probably the biggest event outside the Grand Slams.
The British No 2 is keen to play a fuller schedule this year and this will be her sixth tournament of the season, compared to three at this point in 2024.
Her ranking of world No 55 was enough to gain direct entry. The draw is on Monday and Raducanu will play her first round on either Wednesday or Thursday.
As her search for a new coach continues she has been joined by fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura and Tom Welsh, a coach at the LTA’s Loughborough Tennis Academy.
She was targeted by a ‘fixated’ man in the stands who she had previously encountered
The horrible ordeal incident saw Raducanu break down in tears before she recovered to play on
Welsh is a former hitting partner of Leylah Fernandez, who Raducanu beat to win the 2021 US Open, and is understood to be a temporary appointment, for Indian Wells only.
Meanwhile, following the incident in Dubai, local police and authorities made sure to respond quickly.
A statement just a few days after the ordeal read: ‘Dubai authorities have taken swift action to address an incident involving British tennis star Emma Raducanu, in accordance with local legal protocols.
‘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.
‘While Raducanu later chose to drop the charges, the individual signed a formal undertaking to maintain distance from her and has been banned from future tournaments.
‘Dubai remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of all residents and visitors to the emirate.’
Raducanu had also provided an update to fans on her Instagram expressing her gratitude for their support.
Raducanu broke her silence on the incident with an Instagram story post shortly afterwards
Alongside a photo of the Jane Austen novel ‘Emma’ and a cup of coffee, Raducanu wrote: ‘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.
‘Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.’
It has since emerged that the name of the ‘fixated’ man who was removed from the crowd in Dubai has been passed on to Wimbledon.
Within hours of the incident, Mail Sport understands the man’s name was shared with tournament organisers at SW19, who immediately placed him on a watchlist they maintain of suspect individuals.
