Emma Raducanu hides from ‘fixated’ fan, breaks down in tears mid-match
The tennis world has condemned a “fixated” fan who caused British star Emma Raducanu to hide mid-match and break down in tears.
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British tennis star Emma Raducanu has broken down in tears mid-match and hid from a “fixated” fan in shocking tennis scenes that have been widely condemned.
The 22-year-old lost the opening two games of the first set against Karolina Muchova in round two of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
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She then rushed up to the umpire and hid behind their chair momentarily before drying her eyes with a towel back at her chair.
The TV commentator said: “It doesn’t look good for Raducanu, who appears to be in tears here. Very, very concerning.
“You never want to see a player in tears on court. This is meant to be a fun game.”
A fan – who appeared to shout out something towards Raducanu on court 2 – was then ejected from the venue by security staff.
Once the incident was over, Raducanu quickly resumed the match but had to come from 4-0 down and then 5-2 behind to force a tie-break.
Watch the Emma Raducanu incident in the video above
Yet she then wasted a set point before falling 1-0 down on the scoreboard after 73 minutes to the former French Open finalist.
Muchova, 28, ended up winning 7-6 6-4 on a day interrupted by rain delays.
Tennis fans and commentators reacted in horror to the sad scenes as Raducanu played out the match, while the WTA released a statement condemning the fan’s “fixated behaviour”.
“On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour,” the statement read.
“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.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 wellbeing 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.”
Respected tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg wrote on X: “This sort of thing, sadly, is another age-old issue in women’s tennis. WTA security has generally been very good the last few decades.”
One fan posted: “Pretty scary situation when a stalker turns up at your match. Raducanu did well to finish given how rattled she was.”
Raducanu, who became the first qualifier to win a grand slam title when she won the 2021 US Open, has struggled for consistency, battled several injuries and had several coaching changes since she burst onto the scene.
Muchova will now play McCartney Kessler, who shocked American world no.3 Coco Gauff 6-4 7-5.
This was Raducanu’s 13th wildcard in 18 WTA tournaments and her fifth defeat in six matches.
It is unlikely she will take another invitational spot before heading to the US hard courts of Indian Wells and Miami next month.
Raducanu had ended a run of four straight defeats in the first round with a 6-4 6-2 defeat of Greece’s Maria Sakkari.
Raducanu said: “I was really pleased with how I fought and competed against Maria.
“She’s a top player, been as high as three in the world. I’m just really proud of my performance.”
Raducanu made it to the third round of the Australian Open, beating Amanda Anisimova before losing lost to Iga Swiatek.
Anisimova, who is also on the comeback trail, won the WTA 1000 Qatar Open last week, before losing her first match in Dubai.
— With The Sun
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