By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, February 20, 2025
Authorities in Dubai detained the male tourist who reduced Emma Raducanu to tears exhibiting stalking behavior.
An emotional Raducanu stopped play after two games after apparently spotting her stalker in the crowd during her second-round Dubai defeat to Karolina Muchova. Raducanu spoke briefly to the chair umpire and shed tears as she took refuge out of fear and out of sight behind the umpire’s chair.
Today, the Dubai Media Office announced police detained the male tourist, who has not yet been named.
In a social media post, Dubai officials revealed the man approached Raducanu, took her photo and left her a note before appearing at her first two Dubai matches.
Dubai authorities have taken swift action to address an incident involving British tennis star Emma Raducanu, in accordance with local legal protocols. Following Raducanu’s complaint, Dubai Police detained a tourist who approached her, left her a note, took her photograph, and…
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 20, 2025
“Following Raducanu’s complaint, Dubai Police detained a tourist who approached her, left her a note, took her photograph, and engaged in behavior that caused her distress during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships,” the Dubai Media Office said in a statement.
The 22-year-old Raducanu dropped the charges against the man, who has signed a statement agreeing to “maintain distance from her and has been banned from future tournaments,” the Dubai Media Office announced.
The statements comes a day after the WTA announced the male fan who “exhibited fixated behavior” toward Raducanu was ejected from that match and subsequently banned from all WTA events “pending a threat assessment.”
WTA statement on the security incident in Dubai:On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behavior. This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis…
— wta (@WTA) February 19, 2025
“On Monday, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behavior,” the WTA said in a statement today. “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.
“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.”
You can understand why Raducanu grew emotional spotting the “fixated” man.
Below, see footage of Raducanu’s interlude after the second game:
here is the situation 🙁 https://t.co/z4Vl23j9DL pic.twitter.com/2C4K2oAEgC
— Lisa 🧚🏻♀️ (@lisa_talking) February 18, 2025
To her credit, Raducanu regained her composure after the man was ejected and pushed the 14th-seeded Muchova in two tight sets.
