The man who was “fixated” on Emma Raducanu has signed a document agreeing to stay away from the British tennis star, who has in turn decided to drop charges against him
Emma Raducanu has dropped charges against the “fixated” man who brought her to tears during a tennis match in Dubai after he was given a restraining order.
Raducanu was forced to pause a match against Karolina Muchova at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday after being scared by a man in the crowd. The 22-year-old was visibly upset, having spotted a man who had handed her a letter at her hotel the previous day.
The man was removed from the stands by security and the Women’s Tennis Association later released a statement which said he had been “exhibiting fixated behaviour” towards her and had been banned from all WTA events. Raducanu later thanked people for support during the “difficult experience” and she has now decided to move on from the incident.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Government of Dubai said: “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 engaged in behaviour that caused her distress during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
“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.”
Writing on Instagram on Wednesday, Raducanu said: “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.”
Sadly, this is not the first time Raducanu has been forced to deal with such behaviour. In 2022 a man was given a five-year restraining order after visiting her house three times in the aftermath of her remarkable win at the US Open aged 18.
The tennis world has thrown its support behind Raducanu, with Iga Swiatek among those to speak about their own experiences. “It’s hard probably to avoid these situations,” the world No.2 said. “We were able to avoid one incident that might have been scary back in the day when I was hosting my own event in Poland.
“There are fans that are kind of, I don’t know, everywhere. But I’m pretty sure that they don’t have any bad intentions. Obviously we are public persons, so we should always keep our eyes open and be ready to react if we feel uncomfortable. I’m sure it must have been tough for Emma.”
