Additional details revealed after Emma Raducanu’s Dubai ‘stalker’ gets restraining order
An individual who displayed “fixated behaviour” towards Emma Raducanu at the WTA 1000 in Dubai has been handed a restraining order, in return for having charges against him being dropped.
During her second-round match in Dubai, whilst down 2-0 against Karolina Muchova, the British tennis star became visibly upset, before walking to the umpire’s chair to speak to officials.
The individual, who was causing the 2021 US Open champion distress, was swiftly removed from the stands and escorted off the premises.
“Dubai authorities have taken swift action to address an incident involving British tennis star Emma Raducanu, in accordance with local legal protocols,” said the Dubai Police via the Dubai Media Office’s official X account.
“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.
“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. Dubai remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of all residents and visitors to the emirate.”
After the incident, Raducanu released an official statement: “Thank you for the messages of support. Difficult experience yesterday (Tuesday) but I’ll be okay and proud of how I came back and competed despite what happened at the start of the match.”
“Thank you to Karolina [Muchova] for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”
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The Czech was victorious in the end, despite a valiant effort from Raducanu – especially given the circumstances – with Muchova clinching the match 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.
Muchova was asked if she had ever experienced a somewhat similar situation, which was responded to with: “I’m lucky around me it’s nice fans usually. Yeah, I wasn’t in the situation. Again, I felt sorry for her and for anyone who has to go through this.
“Obviously there are people texting us after matches all the time. Sometimes not the nicest messages. But never it happened to me that someone would like actually approach me live. Yeah, I guess I’m lucky it didn’t happen to me.”
“On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour,” the official WTA statement said.
“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.
“Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events. 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.”
In 2022, a man was convicted of stalking the British tennis player – walking 23 miles to her house before leaving her various notes and taking one of her father’s shoes as a souvenir.
That individual was handed a five-year restraining order, as well as 200 hours of community service and an eight-week curfew from 9pm – 6am.
