Emma Raducanu opens up on ‘worrying’ message she | Sports News

Emma Raducanu has opened up about a harrowing incident that left her ‘really worried’ when a persistent fan, who had earlier approached her, showed up at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

The British tennis star was clearly shaken during her match against Karolina Muchova, to the point of breaking down in tears and seeking solace behind the umpire’s chair.

The individual, previously encountered by Raducanu at a coffee shop where he disclosed his pattern of following her, was ultimately removed from the venue by the WTA for displaying ‘fixated behavior’ and was prohibited from attending future tournaments.

Speaking ahead of Indian Wells, Raducanu spoke candidly about the fear the man instilled in her, detailing how the initial contact seemed ordinary until it escalated with him watching her and later admitting his extensive tracking of her movements. 

“There were two instances and it was the second one that I just got freaked out by,” she shared. “The first one was more like a normal fan approaching you, except for the fact he told me he followed me from everywhere. And then [he] kind of watched me in the coffee shop for a while… the second incident was really worrying.”

In the aftermath of the unsettling experience, Raducanu was joined by two security guards during interviews, indicative of the increased protection measures now surrounding her.

“I was obviously very distraught,” she recounted, reflecting on the difficult moment. “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 was playing Karolina, who’s top 17 in the world or something. I can’t see the ball.

“I’m like: ‘I literally need to just take a breather here’. The first four games kind of ran away from me. I was not on the court, to be honest, and I’m not really sure how I regrouped.”

Despite being visibly upset and shedding tears after exiting the court, Raducanu expressed pride in her resilience. “I think that was a pretty good effort for me to carry on playing in that match, in that scenario,” she noted.

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“I finished the match and I even had chances in the first set but, yeah, it was a very emotional time.

“After the match, I did break down in tears, but not necessarily because I lost. It was more because there was just so much emotion in the last few weeks of events. I needed a week off to take a breather and come here and I feel a lot better.”