Dubai Open organisers have issued a first after a “fixated” man was removed from the Emma Raducanu vs. Karolina Muchova match.
According to Mail Online, British tennis player panicked, hid behind the umpire Miriam Bley’s chair, and burst into tears after a man showed “fixated behaviour” during the second round of the match on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
The game was resumed after the alleged stalker was removed from the crowd, but the 21-year-old lost the match 7-6(6) 6-4.
Later the Women’s Tennis Association confirmed that the man who previously approached the former US Open champion after her first-round match against Maria Sakkari was once again spotted in the first rows of the stands during the Tuesday match.
The man was then banned from the WTA events and the association stated that its governing body in working for the security of the player.
Moreover, Dubai Tennis Championships tournament organisers also released their statement on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
The statement read, “We fully support the statement made earlier today by the WTA in regard to an incident involving Emma Raducanu on February 17.”
“The tournament security team worked in collaboration with the WTA security team to proactively identify and immediately eject the individual in question from the stadium during Emma's second-round match on Tuesday," it added.
The organisers thanked Raducanu for her contribution in the tournament and said that they are looking forward to welcoming her again next year.
