Emma Raducanu has revealed the terrifying four-word message from a stalker that left her “really worried” during the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The 22-year-old British tennis star was visibly distressed during her match against Karolina Muchova last month when she spotted a man in the crowd who had approached her previously.
Raducanu disclosed that the man had told her he “followed me from everywhere” during an encounter at a coffee shop.
The frightening incident led to the man being ejected from the venue and banned from future events after exhibiting what the WTA described as “fixated behaviour”.
Emma Raducanu was visibly upset after noticing a man in the crowd who had approached her before
Reuters
Raducanu explained there were two encounters with the man that left her frightened.
“There were two instances, and it was the second one that I just got freaked out by,” she said.
The first incident occurred when the man approached her in a coffee shop.
“The first one was more like a normal fan approaching you, except for the fact he told me he followed me from everywhere,” Raducanu revealed.
She added that he “kind of watched me in the coffee shop for a while.”
The situation escalated when she later spotted the same man sitting in the first few rows during her match against Muchova.
Raducanu described her emotional state during the match, saying: “I saw him [in the] first game of the match and I was like: ‘I don’t know how I’m going to finish’.
“I was playing Karolina Muchova, who’s top 17 in the world or something, and I can’t see the ball,” she admitted.
Raducanu took refuge behind the umpire’s chair while visibly upset.
“The first four games kind of ran away from me. I was not on the court, to be honest, and I’m not really sure how I regrouped,” she said.
Despite her distress, she managed to continue playing.
Raducanu revealed that the emotional impact continued after the match ended.
“After the match, I did break down in tears, but not necessarily because I lost,” she explained.
Emma Raducanu was left seriously distressed by the situation
Reuters
“It was more because there was just so much emotion in the last few weeks of events.”
The WTA took swift action, removing the man from the venue and banning him from future events.
Additional security measures have since been implemented for Raducanu’s protection.
“Since the incident, Raducanu has been given extra protection with security guards,” with two guards now accompanying her.
She has taken time to recover from the ordeal.
“I needed a week off to take a breather and come here, and I feel a lot better.”
Raducanu will now attempt to put the harrowing experience behind her as she prepares for Indian Wells.
The British star begins her campaign on Thursday against Moyuka Uchijima.
If successful, she faces a challenging second-round match against fellow US Open champion Coco Gauff.
Raducanu expressed pride in how she handled the difficult situation in Dubai despite losing 7-6, 6-4 to Muchova.
“I think that was a pretty good effort for me to carry on playing in that match, in that scenario,” she said.
She remains focused on moving forward with her tennis career while benefiting from the enhanced security measures now in place.