Emma Raducanu was in tears during her Dubai Tennis Championships match on Tuesday as a spectator was removed and banned after displaying ‘fixated behaviour’.
The 22-year-old was taking on Karolina Muchova and after falling 2-0 behind in the opening set of the match, Raducanu looked visibly distraught and was spotted wiping away tears with her towel while stood courtside.
It was not clear at the time what was distressing the British star, but the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has since revealed that she had previously been approached by a man who was then in the crowd.
Raducanu informed the umpire and stood behind the official’s chair as the man was removed from the arena and has since been banned.
A WTA statement on Wednesday read: ‘On Monday Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour.
‘This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and subsequently ejected. He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.
‘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.’
The British tennis star ended the worst losing run of her entire career on Sunday with an impressive 6-4 6-2 victory over Greek star Maria Sakkari.
Amid the distressing circumstances of Monday, Raducanu was unable to reach the last 16 in the United Arab Emirates, though, as Muchova produced a 7-6 6-4 win over the 2021 US Open winner.
Despite suffering defeat in a rollercoaster battle – Raducanu actually won more overall points than her opponent – in what was a brave effort against an opponent ranked 44 places above her in the current WTA standings.
Czech world No.17 star Muchova was 5-2 up in the first set but had to save set points in a highly-competitive match against world No.61 Raducanu.
Ultimately, it was Muchova who took her chances and won the big points to eliminate Raducanu from the Dubai Tennis Championships.
‘You never want to see a player in tears on court,’ said a Sky Sports commentator as the incident unfolded. ‘This is meant to be a fun game.’
Raducanu is currently playing without a full-time coach after Nick Cavaday stepped away from the role due to health reasons following the Australian Open.
Raducanu started the year in fine form, reaching the third round at the Australian Open with impressive wins over Ekaterina Alexandrova and Amanda Anisimova.
But the former world No.10 then suffered four defeats in a row, losing to Iga Swaitek at Melbourne Park before first-round exits in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha to Cristina Bucsa, Marketa Vondrousova and Alexandrova.
Speaking after she ended that losing streak with victory over Sakkari, Raducanu said: ‘I was really pleased with how I fought and competed against Maria.
‘She’s a top player, been as high as three in the world. I’m just really proud of my performance.’
After losing to Muchova, Raducanu is now expected to jet home to the United Kingdom to get herself ready for Indian Wells and the Miami Open.