Emma Raducanu says she “couldn’t see the ball through tears” and struggled to breathe after spotting a man who was “fixated” on her during a match.
The 2021 US Open winner was left distressed during a match at last month’s Dubai Championships by the presence of the man in the stand.
The man, who had already approached Raducanu twice earlier in the tournament, was also present during her matches in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha in preceding weeks. He was ejected from the arena after she spoke to the chair umpire during a second-round match against Karolina Muchova. He was later detained by Dubai police and signed a document pledging to “maintain distance” from Raducanu. The WTA said he had “exhibited fixated behavior.”
“I was obviously very distraught,” Raducanu told British reporters at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, her first tournament since the incident. “I saw him in the first game of the match, and I was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to finish.’ I literally couldn’t see the ball through tears. I could barely breathe. I was like, ‘I need to just take a breather here.'”
Raducanu regrouped to play on after the man was removed from the arena but lost 7-6, 6-4.
“It was a very emotional time,” Raducanu said. “After the match, I did break down in tears, but not necessarily because I lost.”
She decided to drop the charges against the man, who has been banned from all WTA tournaments.
Raducanu, 22, told the BBC that the incident “could have been dealt with better” but that security improvements have been made.
“I’m always now very aware and not necessarily doing things on my own any more. I’m always with someone and always being watched,” Raducanu told the BBC.
In 2022, an obsessive fan of Raducanu was given a restraining order after coming to her house three times.
Raducanu will face Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, who is ranked three places above her at 52nd in the world, in the first round in California on Thursday. The winner will face third-seeded Coco Gauff, with the top 32 players all receiving byes to the second round.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
