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Emma Raducanu has thanked her fans for their messages of support after the “difficult experience” of being approached by a man who displayed “fixated behaviour” ahead of her match against Karolina Muchova in Dubai.
In a post on Instagram, Raducanu said she was “proud” of how she reacted after the individual was ejected from the stadium by security, with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) saying he is banned from all future events pending an investigation.
The individual reportedly handed Raducanu a letter the day before her match with Muchova before he was then spotted in the first few rows of the crowd.
Raducanu was left in tears during the first set and was seen waiting behind the umpire’s chair as help was organised, but the 22-year-old continued the match and showed impressive resilience despite going on to lose 7-6 6-4 to the 14th seed Muchova.
“Thank you for the messages of support,” Raducanu said on Instagram. “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 also thanked Czech opponent Muchova, who consoled the former US Open champion while the man was removed from the court.
“Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament,” Raducanu added.
The man, who was also seen at Raducanu’s first match in Dubai on Sunday against Maria Sakkari, is now banned from all WTA events, “pending a threat assessment”, with the WTA’s statement confirming Raducanu has been offered support.
“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,” a WTA statement said.
“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.
“Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events.”
The news comes three years after a man was given a five-year restraining order in 2022 after walking 23 miles to Raducanu’s London home.
Meanwhile, the Lawn Tennis Association said it has been in touch with Raducanu following the incident and that “extensive security arrangements” are in place for tournaments in the UK.
“This incident once again highlights issues around safety that all players, but female players in particular, can face,” the LTA said in a statement.
“We have support available for British players and have been in contact with Emma and her team following the events in Dubai.
“We have extensive security arrangements at our events in Britain and keep these under constant review. 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.”
Includes reporting from PA
