Only US Open Champion Emma Raducanu He said he suffered a physical reaction in the Dubai championship last month after being faced by a man who was “obsessed” in the young tennis star, which was finally arrested by the local police.
Raducanu, 22, recalled the intense situation in the BNP Paribas open In Indian Wells, his first tournament since the incident took place.
Emma Raducanu celebrates during her match against Amanda Anisimova at the Australian Open in Melbourne Park on January 16, 2025. (Mike Frey-Imagn images)
“I was obviously very distressed,” Raducanu said.
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“I saw him in the first game of the game and I thought: ‘I don’t know how I’m going to end.’ I could literally see the ball through tears.
The WTA explained in a statement at the time “a man who exhibited a fixed behavior” approached Raducanu in a public space. The next day, that same man was seen in his party in the first rows.
According to the Dubai government media office, the man “left her a note” and also took a picture of her during one of those meetings.
Emma Raducanu plays a right -wing return to IgA Swiatek at the Australian Open in Melbourne, on January 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, Archive)
US Open Champion Emma Raducanu breaks silence about the ‘difficult experience’ with the ‘obsessed’ fan in the Dubai championship
“After Raducanu’s complaint, Dubai’s police arrested a tourist who approached him, left him a note, took his photograph and dedicated himself to a behavior that caused his anguish during the Dubai tax free tennis championships,” said the statement.
According To Reuters The man approached her twice off the court in Dubai and had been previously seen in tournaments in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha in the previous weeks.
The man, who has not yet been identified, was arrested later, but Raducanu chose to drop the charges against him.
Emma Raducanu during her match against Amanda Anisimova at the Australian Open on January 16, 2025. (Mike Frey-Imagn images)
“It was a very emotional moment,” he added. “After the game I collapsed in tears, but not necessarily because I lost.”
The man was prohibited by the WTA of all future tournaments “waiting for an evaluation of threats.”
Raducanu received a five -year restriction order against a man in London in 2022 after being convicted of harassing her. The man appeared at his home several times and left unwanted gifts. I was 19 years old at that time.
Raducana will face Moyuka Uchijima from Japan in her first tournament from Thursday’s incident.
