I Couldn’t See The Ball Through Tears

By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Seeing her stalker in the stands of Dubai scared Emma Raducanu so much she began hyperventilating and “couldn’t see the ball through tears.”

An emotional Raducanu stopped play after two games and broke down in tears spotting her stalker in the crowd during her second-round Dubai defeat to Karolina Muchova last month.

Raducanu spoke about the frightening encounter for the first time with BBC Sport’s Russell Fuller.

The 22-year-old Raducanu discussed the incident in an interview at Indian Wells.

“I saw him in the first game of the match and I was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to finish’,” Raducanu said. “I literally couldn’t see the ball through tears.

“I could barely breathe. “I was like, ‘I need to just take a breather.’

“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.”

In a social media post, the Dubai Media Office said 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. 
 
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.

Members of Raducanu’s team told British media she was frightened because the fixated fan had previously appeared in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha before actually approaching her in a Dubai cafe and showing up at her first two matches.

“There were two instances and it was the second one that I just got freaked out by,” Raducanu said. “The first one was more like a normal fan approaching you, except for the fact he told me he followed me from everywhere.

“And then [he] kind of watched me in the coffee shop for a while… the second incident was really worrying.”

Following her Dubai second-round exit, Raducanu reportedly considered taking time away from the Tour before opting to play Indian Wells this week. If Raducanu wins her BNP Paribas Open opener, she will face third-seeded Coco Gauff in a second-round clash of former US Open champions.

Raducanu told the media in Indian Wells the tournament has stricter security measures in place to protect her.

“Since that incident I have definitely got increased attention and greater security,” Raducanu said. “All we can do is look at what happened and react to it in a better way, in a more positive way, rather than looking back and blaming the situation.

“Now it is being dealt with better, so for me that’s important. “I’m always now very aware and not necessarily doing things on my own any more. “I’m always with someone and always being watched.”

The 2021 US Open champion will be surrounded by tournament security at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden with the WTA also empowered to provide added security measures if necessary.

A year ago, Raducanu played the BNP Paribas Open on a wild card and reached the third round bowing to Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-5.

Last week,  Raducanu celebrated her return to Tennis Paradise sharing the court with Tournament Director Tommy Haas.