Dubai Open organisers have taken a significant step by removing a “fixated” individual from the Emma Raducanu vs. Karolina Muchova match.
According to Mail Online, the British tennis player panicked, hid behind umpire Miriam Bley’s chair, and burst into tears when a man displayed “fixated behavior” during the second round of the match on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
The game 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 (WTA) confirmed that the same individual, who had 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 Tuesday’s match.
The individual was subsequently banned from WTA events, and the association stated that its governing body is working to ensure player security.
Furthermore, the Dubai Tennis Championships organisers released their statement on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
The statement read, “We fully support the statement made earlier today by the WTA regarding 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 participation in the tournament and stated that they look forward to welcoming her again next year.
