British tennis player Emma Raducanu had to stop playing a match during the Dubai Tennis Championships. In tears, she went to hide behind the umpire's chair, to the confusion of the spectators. It was later explained that Raducanu had spotted a stalker in the first rows of the crowd, who, in the previous day, had approached her in a public area and exhibited "fixated behaviour" towards the 22-year-old tennis player.
Shortly after the match started, Raducanu broke down and hid behind the chair. Her rival, Czech player Karolina Muchova, went to comfort her while security in the court ejected the player. According to a WTA statement, the man "will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment". WTA added that "player safety is our top priority" and are "working with Emma and her team to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support".
The player later resumed and Radacanu went on to lose 7-6 (6), 6-4, in the second round of the WTA 1,000 tournament. This isn't the first time that Raducanu has been targeted by stalkers, and in 2022 a man was given a five-year restraining order when he went to the player's house in London.
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