Emma Raducanu says she is “proud” of how she reacted to a “difficult experience” on the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday, the place she was approached by a person displaying “fixated behaviour” forward of her defeat to Karolina Muchova.
The person was subsequently ejected from the courtroom by safety and shall be banned from all future WTA occasions “pending a threat assessment”.
Raducanu was in tears as she went to the umpire’s chair after the second recreation of her rain-delayed second-round match on Tuesday and went on to lose 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to 14th seed Muchova.
“Thank you for the messages of support,” Raducanu posted on Instagram on Wednesday.
“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.
“Thanks to Karolina for being an awesome sport and better of luck to her for the remainder of the event.”
Muchova consoled Raducanu as the person was eliminated, earlier than the Briton was applauded by different spectators as she resumed taking part in.
Raducanu misplaced the primary two video games after the restart to slide 4-0 down however rallied to take the primary set to a tie-break.
WTA: Participant security is our prime precedence
A press release from the Ladies’s Tennis Affiliation learn: “On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour.
“This identical particular person was recognized within the first few rows throughout Emma’s match on Tuesday on the Dubai Obligation Free Tennis Championships and subsequently ejected. He shall be banned from all WTA occasions pending a risk evaluation.
“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 staff to make sure her well-being and supply any vital assist.
“We remain committed to collaborating with tournaments and their security teams worldwide to maintain a safe environment for all players.”
The WTA says it should assist Raducanu after the incidents in Dubai
A spokesperson for the Garden Tennis Affiliation (LTA) informed Sky Sports activities Information. “This incident once again highlights issues around safety that all players, but female players in particular, can face.
“Now we have assist out there for British gamers and have been in touch with Emma and her staff following the occasions in Dubai. Now we have in depth safety preparations at our occasions in Britain and preserve these below fixed overview.
“The tours have strong processes in place already and we will continue to work together along with police and security providers to deal with situations like this robustly.”
In 2022, a person who walked 23 miles to Raducanu’s London house was given a five-year restraining order.
Raducanu’s fellow Brit Katie Boulter informed the Guardian in December she has been adopted prior to now, saying: “It happens to all of us, it’s part of life when you’re in the public eye a little bit. Obviously you don’t feel comfortable.”
Boulter added: “One time in Nottingham, I had someone messaging me on social media saying: ‘I’m outside. I’m going to hurt you if you come outside.’ Obviously I alerted the WTA, and they found the guy, who was on site.
Katie Boulter says she has been adopted prior to now, saying ‘it occurs to all of us’
“Things like this happen all the time. Obviously we are very well protected, which makes you feel safe. The WTA does a great job of being there for you. I do feel we are protected as much as possible, which puts your mind at ease a little bit.”
Overend: Safety paramount – and we’d like empathy for Raducanu
Sky Sports activities Tennis’ Jonathan Overend on the Emma Raducanu state of affairs in Dubai:
“It was distressing to see, particularly when Raducanu was cowering behind the umpire’s chair, and I think it highlights three things.
“In the beginning, the safeguarding and safety, which is completely paramount, and secondly the resilience of Raducanu to finish the match. I discover it exceptional she made the match shut, it was an unbelievable effort.
“I also think it highlights the need for empathy when we are talking about athletes who sadly have to deal with this sort of thing in their personal lives.
“With Raducanu the speak is about, ‘why hasn’t she gained one other main championship?’ Effectively, have a look at scenes like this and the social media abuse.
Emma Raducanu performed on the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday
“We see a lot of tennis on the stadium courts with security on every entrance. That is not the reality around tournaments with multiple courts, some very small with just a bench on either side of the fence.
“It’s doable to get very near people, not simply in matches however as they manoeuvre round. There may be clearly safety in place however it at all times must be reassessed and on the forefront of everybody’s minds.
“You can add on the daily social media stalking. The WTA talks about ‘fixated behaviour’ and that is impactful to these athletes as well.”
Dubai event organisers added: “The tournament security team worked in collaboration with the WTA security team to proactively identify and immediately eject the individual in question from the stadium.
“We assist the WTA’s determination to ban the person in query from all WTA occasions, and share the Tour’s longstanding dedication to participant welfare, security and wellbeing.”
