Last month, when attending the Dubai Open, Emma Raducanu said she "couldn't see the ball because she was crying" and had difficulty breathing after seeing the man following her in the stands. That was the match in round 2 against Karolina muchova.
It is known that this man had previously approached Raducanu twice in the tournament. She also attended her matches in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha in previous weeks.
The person behind was sent off from the stands after Raducanu spoke to the main referee. He was later arrested by Dubai police and signed a document pledging to keep a distance from Raducanu.
The 22-year-old told British reporters at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, her first tournament since the incident:
"I was in a lot of pain. I saw him in the first set of the game, and I didn't know how to complete this game. I really couldn't see the ball out of tears. I almost could not breathe."
Raducanu returned to play after that man was taken off the stands but lost 7-6, 6-4 to muchova.
"It was a very emotional time. After the match, I burst into tears, but not necessarily because I lost," Raducanu recalled.
In 2022, an extremist fan was banned from approaching Raducanu after visiting her home three times.
On the morning of March 7, Raducanu suffered a defeat to Japan's Moyuka Uchijima with a score of 3-6, 2-6 in round 1 of Indian Wells. She will face a relegation from the world rankings and could fall out of the top 60. After saying goodbye to the tournament, the English star is expected to participate in the Miami Open later this month.
Raducanu once shocked the tennis world when he won the 2021 US Open at the age of 18. But since then, she has not been able to maintain her expected performance due to injuries, psychological problems, and constant changes in the coaching staff.
