Emma Raducanu is set to play in Dubai, 12 months after going through the most frightening and traumatic experience on the court.
If you can recall, the 23-year-old looked disturbed by something early on in her 2025 Dubai second-round match against Karolina Muchova.
After losing the opening two games of the match, a frightened Raducanu approached the chair umpire – pointed at someone in the crowd – and burst into tears as she hid behind the umpire's chair. Moments later, a male individual was escorted out of the stadium.
WTA explains why Emma Raducanu was in tears during her second-round match at the #DDFTennis.
A clip showed her explaining the situation to the umpire. Before hiding behind the umpire seat. https://t.co/hw1P1pEYAz pic.twitter.com/YuqfLO4odq
— Victor Okechukwu (@Uzochuwu1) February 19, 2025
Later, it was revealed that Raducanu identified a stalker in the crowd, who also approached her with a written letter a day earlier in a hotel. After the initial incident, the British tennis player reported it to the tournament, the WTA and on-site security.
After the scary on-court stalking ordeal, the 2021 US Open champion managed to complete the match but lost 7-6 (6) 6-4 to Muchova.
The WTA issued a public statement afterward, confirming that Raducanu was "approached by a man who exhibited fixated behavior." The WTA also noted that the man in question was banned from attending all WTA tournaments.
One of Raducanu's team members later also shared that they noticed the same individual following the Briton at the tournaments in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha. And after the person in question also showed up in Dubai, it was clear that he was stalking the 23-year-old.
Raducanu puts the bad experience aside, returns to Dubai
Going through a stalking ordeal certainly wasn't a pleasant experience, but Raducanu has no hard feelings toward the Dubai tournament and she is set to play there for the second time in her career.
On Monday, the world No. 25 will kick off her Dubai campaign by taking on qualifier Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the first round.
Raducanu has certainly been granted every possible security measure in Dubai, so there isn't anything surprising in her decision to return to the tournament.
