Emma Raducanu says she can be OK after a “troublesome expertise” the place she was focused by a person who “exhibited fixated behaviour” on the Dubai Tennis Championships.
An emotional Raducanu was seen hiding behind the umpire’s chair two video games into the second-round defeat by Karolina Muchova.
The Girls’s Tennis Affiliation (WTA) stated the 22-year-old had been approached by a person who “exhibited fixated behaviour” on Monday and the identical particular person was “recognized within the first few rows throughout Emma’s match” on Tuesday.
Raducanu alerted the chair umpire to the scenario and was comforted by 14th seed Muchova as the person was faraway from courtroom three.
On Wednesday, the Briton posted on Instagram: “Thanks for the messages of assist.
“Tough expertise yesterday however I will be okay and pleased with how I got here again and competed regardless of what occurred at first of the match.
“Thanks to Karolina for being a terrific sport and better of luck to her for the remainder of the match.”
Raducanu returned to the courtroom after the incident to applause from the gang and continued taking part in, however fell to a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 defeat.
The person was “subsequently ejected” from the stadium and has since been banned from all WTA occasions, “pending a menace evaluation”.
In 2022, a person who walked 23 miles to the London house of Raducanu was given a five-year restraining order.
The WTA stated: “Participant security is our prime precedence, and tournaments are suggested on safety finest practices for worldwide sporting occasions.
“The WTA is actively working with Emma and her crew to make sure her well-being and supply any obligatory assist.
“We stay dedicated to collaborating with tournaments and their safety groups worldwide to keep up a secure surroundings for all gamers.”
The Dubai Tennis Championships stated it “totally supported” the WTA’s assertion, and subsequent motion taken by the governing physique of the ladies’s recreation.
“The match safety crew labored in collaboration with the WTA safety crew to proactively establish and instantly eject the person in query from the stadium,” stated match organisers.
“We assist the WTA’s determination to ban the person in query from all WTA occasions, and share the tour’s longstanding dedication to participant welfare, security and wellbeing.
“We thank Emma for her contribution to this 12 months’s match and stay up for welcoming her again subsequent 12 months.”
British governing physique, the Garden Tennis Affiliation (LTA), stated it had been in touch with Raducanu and her crew in Dubai.
“This incident as soon as once more highlights points round security that every one gamers, however feminine gamers specifically, can face,” stated the LTA.
“The excursions have sturdy processes in place already and we’ll proceed to work collectively together with police and safety suppliers to take care of conditions like this robustly.”
