Tennis sensation Emma Raducanu has candidly spoken out about her terrifying encounter with a stalker during a tournament in Dubai. She confessed that the incident left her hardly able to breathe and struggling to see the ball through her tears.
In her first media interaction since the incident, Raducanu conceded that the terrifying ordeal has indeed impacted her daily life. However, the tenacious 22-year-old remains resolute in her commitment to pursuing her passion for the sport.
Raducanu, who catapulted to international fame after clinching the 2021 US Open title, recalled the chilling episode that unfolded during her match against Karolina Muchova in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships on 18 February. She spotted her stalker, a man who had previously left a note and taken her photograph, early on in the match.
The sight of the stalker left Raducanu shaken. She sought the assistance of the chair umpire, revealing the presence of the stalker and sought refuge behind the umpire’s chair. The man was swiftly escorted out of the venue by security personnel. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) later issued a statement confirming that the individual, who had exhibited fixated behavior, was ejected from the tournament.
The man has since been issued a restraining order and is prohibited from attending future tournaments. The Dubai authorities corroborated that the individual approached Raducanu, left her a note, photographed her, and exhibited distressing behavior during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The traumatic incident left a profound impact on Raducanu. Speaking to The Athletic, she revealed, “I was obviously very distraught. I saw him first game of the match, and I thought: ‘I don’t know how I’m going to finish.’ I was struggling to see the ball through my tears, and I could barely breathe. I was playing Karolina, a top-ranked player in the world, and I couldn’t see the ball. The first four games slipped away from me because I was not mentally present on the court. I’m not really sure how I managed to collect myself.”
The incident and its aftermath took a significant emotional toll on Raducanu. She broke down in tears after the match, not merely due to her loss but because of the accumulated emotional stress she had endured over the weeks. She took a week off to recuperate and process the events.
Now, after spending some time back in England with her family, Raducanu is set to return to the court at the Indian Wells Open. She is determined not to let the distressing incident deter her from doing what she loves. The world No. 55 asserted, “There’s a part of you that thinks, ‘I’m not going to let a middle-aged creep stop me doing what I love to do.’ I’m here because I feel a lot better now. A lot transpired after Dubai, I needed time to recover. But the allure of Indian Wells, my favorite tournament, compelled me to return.”
Raducanu is scheduled to begin her campaign at the Indian Wells Open on Thursday, facing off against Moyuka Uchijima.
