Dubai Police detained a tourist who had engaged in behaviour that caused Emma Raducanu distress during her match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, the government of Dubai said on Thursday.
Britain’s Raducanu was visibly distressed and reduced to tears during the first set of her second-round of her match against Karolina Muchova.
The match was briefly halted after Raducanu spoke with the umpire, who quickly contacted tournament organisers. The 22-year-old stood behind the official’s chair as the spectator was escorted away.
When play resumed Raducanu fought back from 4-0 down to force a tiebreak but ultimately fell 7-6(6) 6-4.
The individual was seated in the first few rows during Raducanu’s match. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) later said the individual, who exhibited “fixated behaviour” towards Raducanu, was ejected and banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.
“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,” the government of Dubai said.
“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.”
“On Monday Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour,” the WTA said in a statement on Wednesday.
“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.
“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.”
The government did not say if the individual had been released.
Despite losing the match, the former US Open champion later said she was proud of how she responded after the “difficult experience”.
Raducanu took to Instagram on Wednesday to thank those who sent messages of support, and also praised her opponent.
“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.”
Muchova is still in the competition after reaching the quarter-finals with a 6-3 1-6 7-6(5) win over American McCartney Kessler on Wednesday, while world number one Aryna Sabalenka crashed out losing 6-3 6-2 to Denmark’s Clara Tauson.
