WTF went down at Emma Raducanu’s latest tennis match??
On Tuesday, the official Women’s Tennis Association account on X (Twitter) issued a lengthy statement concerning an incident that happened a day prior at the Dubai Tennis Championships — which culminated in the 22-year-old British athlete in tears!
According to the association, a male fan who has not been publicly identified “approached” Emma exhibiting “fixated behavior.” And for her match against Czech player Karolina Muchova, he found a seat “in the first few rows.” At this time, it’s not clear what the strange man said to Emma, but whatever it was clearly rattled her — because she broke down in tears and hid behind the umpire’s chair to explain the situation. Whoa!
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After that, the “fixated” fan was swiftly removed. The WTA wrote:
“Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events. The WTA is actively working with Emma and her team to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support. We remain committed to collaborating with tournaments and their security teams worldwide to maintain a safe environment for all players.”
They also noted the man “will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.” Good! We don’t even know what he did, but clearly, it was creepy enough to really affect Emma! Read the WTA’s full statement (below):
WTA statement on the security incident in Dubai:
On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behavior. This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis…
— wta (@WTA) February 19, 2025
You can also see the tense situation play out (below):
Emma Raducanu's fright when she realizes that a man who had approached her the day before in a public place in Dubai was attending her match against Muchova.
The man was fortunately arrested and banned from all WTA events.pic.twitter.com/63jdBNQb8V
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) February 19, 2025
Poor thing!! Following the incident, Emma released a message on her Instagram Story:
“Thank you for the messages of support. Difficult experience yesterday but I’ll be okay and proud of how I came back and competed despite what happened at the start of the match. Thank you to Karoline for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”
The Lawn Tennis Association has since assured fans they are in contact with Emma and its “extensive security arrangements” are “under constant review.” What a weird situation. We hope Emma is okay!
Thoughts??
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
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