Emma Raducanu left in tears as 'fixated' man ejected during hard-fought loss to Karolina Muchova in Dubai Championships
By Rhys Jones
Updated 20/02/2025 at 16:07 GMT
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Emma Raducanu broke down during her second-round defeat to Karolina Muchova at the Dubai Championships, where a man in the crowd was ejected for "fixated behaviour" towards Raducanu. The Briton fell in straight sets to the Czech 14th seed, losing 7-6 (6) 6-4 after a four-hour rain delay had forced the match to begin at 10pm local time.
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - FEBRUARY 18: Emma Raducanu of Great Britain looks on while playing against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in their second round match during day three of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, part of the Hologic WTA Tour at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium on February 18, 2025 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
Emma Raducanu was knocked out of the Dubai Tennis Championships by Karolina Muchova after being left visibly upset by a man in the crowd who displayed "fixated behaviour."
Raducanu appeared unnerved as she approached the umpire's chair while 2-0 down in her second-round match.
The British player had become flustered due to the presence of a man, who was subsequently ejected for his behaviour, handed a restraining order and banned from future tournaments.
Muchova was on hand to comfort Raducanu, and the Briton was applauded by the crowd as she returned to the court.
A statement from the Women's Tennis Association following the incident read: "On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour.
"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.
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"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."
On Thursday, Dubai Police announced that Raducanu chose to drop charges but that the man had agreed to maintain his distance from the star.
"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," their announcement read.
"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."
Raducanu had suffered a poor start to the rain-delayed encounter, but rallied back from 4-0 to take the first set to a tie-break.
She ultimately lost the opener 7-6 (6) and fell 6-4 in the second set as Muchova advanced to set up a last 16 clash with American McCartney Kessler, who knocked world No. 3 Coco Gauff out of the tournament.
Raducanu saved two set points in the first set as she forced it to a tie-break, but failed to convert a set point of her own as her Croatian opponent prevailed.
Raducanu was broken in the first game of the second set and failed to convert three break points in the sixth game.
The first round in Dubai saw the 22-year-old end a four-match losing streak with a straight-sets win over Greece's Maria Sakkari.
Raducanu addressed the incident after the match, describing it as a "difficult experience".
"Thank you for the messages of support," she wrote on Instagram.
"Difficult experience yesterday 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 for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament."
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