Indian Wells (United States) (AFP) – Emma Raducanu revealed Tuesday she “couldn’t see the ball through the tears” after being targeted by a stalker during last month’s Dubai WTA 1000 tournament. The British tennis star was left distraught after a man later said to be displaying “fixated behavior” appeared at a courtside seat during her defeat to Karolina Muchova. The man was escorted away by security, subsequently given a restraining order and banned from attending WTA Tour events.
Former US Open champion Raducanu, 22, is making her first tournament appearance since her troubled Dubai campaign at this week’s event in California. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Raducanu said she was determined not to let the incident derail her career. “There’s a part of you that thinks, ‘I’m not gonna let a middle-aged creep stop me doing what I love to do,'” Raducanu told The Athletic.
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“I’m here because I feel a lot better now. A lot happened obviously after Dubai, so I just needed to kind of take my time after,” she said. “I think the allure of Indian Wells being my favorite tournament, I just couldn’t really step away from it.” Recounting the details of her Dubai ordeal, where she briefly took refuge behind the umpire’s chair after alerting officials to the man’s presence, Raducanu said she had been “obviously very distraught.”
“I saw him first game of the match, and I was like: ‘I don’t know how I’m going to finish’,” Raducanu told reporters. “I literally couldn’t see the ball through the tears, I could barely breathe. I was playing Karolina, who’s like top 17 in the world or something, and I can’t see the ball. The first four games of the match kind of ran away from me because I was not on the court, to be honest. I’m not really sure how I regrouped,” she said. “It was a very emotional time and after the match I did completely break down in tears.”
Tournament organisers are taking no chances with Raducanu during her return at Indian Wells this week, where security staff will be deployed to protect her when she is on site at the event. Raducanu, who was also targeted by a stalker at her family home in 2022, said the incidents had made her hyper-vigilant. “The security is very important,” Raducanu said. “Even if the player hotels are public information, that’s not necessarily the most helpful and anyone can walk in.
“That’s obviously a weak spot, but I do my best. I’m always, and now even more so, very aware and very alert and sensitive and I don’t really go anywhere on my own.”
© 2024 AFP
