Match interrupted

Raducanu cries on court! Stalker in the stands?

Emma Raducanu burst into tears.(Bild: AFP or licensors)

British tennis player Emma Raducanu apparently burst into tears during her second round match at the tournament in Dubai because of the behavior of a spectator. The man was subsequently banned from the stands. He will be banned from all WTA events until it is clear whether there was a threat, the professional organization WTA announced.

In the first set of her match against the Czech Karolina Muchova, Raducanu cried at 0:2 and spoke to the umpire, who was using her radio. Raducanu went behind the umpire's chair.

Consoled by her opponent
Muchova came to her opponent and comforted her, and the referee also took care of Raducanu. The 22-year-old wiped her face with a towel several times, continued the match and lost 6:7(6) and 4:6.

Professional organization: Raducanu receives support
In its statement, the WTA wrote that the spectator had already shown "fixated behaviour" towards Raducanu in a public area on Monday. The same man was also identified and excluded from Tuesday's match. The safety of the players has the highest priority, the WTA wrote. Raducanu is receiving the necessary support to ensure her well-being.

In 2022, a man was sentenced to community service without pay for stalking Raducanu and was also banned from contact for five years. There was initially no information about the identity of the man who was barred in Dubai. Raducanu sensationally won the US Open as a qualifier in 2021. She was subsequently unable to build on this success and repeatedly struggled with injuries.