Emma Raducanu has dropped charges against a man who displayed “fixated behaviour” towards her at the Dubai Tennis Championships after he agreed to “maintain distance from her”.
The 21-year-old approached the umpire in tears during her second-round defeat to Karolina Muchova and stood behind the chair, as her opponent came over to comfort her.
Raducanu had spotted a man in the first few rows of the stands who had approached her in public earlier in the week. He was removed from the stadium and has now been banned from all future tournaments.
“Following Raducanu’s complaint, Dubai Police detained a tourist who approached her, left her a note, took her photograph, and engaged in behaviour that caused her distress during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships,” a statement from Dubai officials read.
“While Raducanu later chose to drop the charges, the individual signed a formal undertaking to maintain distance from her and has been banned from future tournaments. Dubai remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of all residents and visitors to the emirate.”
Reports suggest that the man approached Raducanu and handed her a letter on Monday, with the Briton accompanied by extra security to and from court as a result.
However, the man was still able to make it into the stands until he was ejected after the first two games.
Responding to the incident, Raducanu posted on Instagram: “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 Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”
