Emma Raducanu ‘didn’t know if she was going to be ready’ for Indian Wells
Emma Raducanu will return to action at the Indian Wells Open on Thursday, but she almost didn’t make the trip to the United States following the traumatic stalker incident.
The 2021 US Open has not competed on the WTA Tour since she broke down in tears during her second-round tie against Karolina Muchova at the Dubai Tennis Championships in mid-February.
Raducanu’s ordeal started before the match as someone first approached her in public ahead of the Muchova clash and she then spotted the same man in the stands as soon as the encounter started.
After two completed games, an upset Raducanu went over to the chair umpire and then went to hide behind the official’s chair while wiping away tears.
The WTA later revealed that a man who “exhibited fixated behaviour” was removed from the venue, and a few days after the incident, Dubai officials announced he was handed a restraining order and will be banned from future tournaments.
The same individual also “left her a note, took her photograph, and engaged in behaviour that caused her distress”.
Raducanu has spent the past few weeks at home with her parents as she pondered whether or not to compete in the WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open.
She only decided at the last-minute to head to the United States as she informed organisers of her decision last Wednesday and then flew to California the next day.
“A lot happened obviously after Dubai, so I just needed to kind of take my time after. I think the allure of Indian Wells being my favourite tournament, I just couldn’t really step away from it,” she admitted.
Improved security was one of the key reasons why she decided to return to action, but there is still a concern about a “weak spot” in terms of public information.
“The security is very important,” Raducanu is quoted as saying by The Athletic. “Even if the player hotels are public information, that’s not necessarily the most helpful and anyone can walk in. That’s obviously a weak spot, but I do my best. I’m always, and now even more so, very aware and very alert and sensitive and I don’t really go anywhere on my own.”
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Raducanu also went through a stalker order in 2022 on the back of her US Open success as a man visited her home and also left notes and “gifts”.
That, naturally, left her traumatised, and the latest incident has raised her alertness.
“I wasn’t really going out much,” the world No 55 said. “I didn’t know if I was going to be ready and the last thing I wanted to do was play if I wasn’t ready.”
She added: “In Dubai, I was alone and in a different country, so I felt a lot more I guess vulnerable.
“It was just a very foreign situation and I guess had been going on for quite a long time, so it was very difficult to deal with.”
