Emma Raducanu will be offered increased security if she plays the Indian Wells Open after a man exhibiting “fixated behaviour” followed her to her last four tournaments.
A worrying incident took place during Raducanu‘s 6-7(6), 4-6 loss to Karolina Muchova in the second round of the WTA 1000 event in Dubai last week.
After falling 0-2 behind in the first set, a visibly distressed Raducanu spoke to the umpire before hiding behind the official’s chair while crying. Muchova consoled Raducanu, while the umpire spoke to security officials and also had a lengthy discussion with both players before the match resumed.
A man was removed from the stadium during this break, and the WTA later revealed that the same individual had first approached Raducanu in public the day before the match.
A statement from the WTA Tour read: “On Monday, February 17, 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 man – confirmed to be a tourist in Dubai – has since been handed a restraining order, in return for having charges against him dropped.
Raducanu, who has returned to the UK following the harrowing experience, is next due to compete at the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, which will be held from March 5-16.
According to The Times, the 22-year-old is “likely to be offered up to five extra security guards when she is on site at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.”
It is also possible that some of the guards could accompany the 2021 US Open champion off-site to her accommodation.
The WTA Tour’s vice-president of security, Bob Campbell, is in charge of arrangements and has vast experience having been a United States Secret Service agent between 1983 and 2003.
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Roman Kelecic coached Raducanu as a junior and worked with her at the tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Dubai this month.
The Croatian coach has revealed that the same man who stalked Raducanu in Dubai also followed the Brit to her previous three events in Doha, Abu Dhabi and Singapore.
“This man followed her to Singapore, to Abu Dhabi where I was with her, again in Doha, now in Dubai and we noticed him,” Kelecic told Croatian outlet Net.
“But initially we thought he was a fan, an admirer, because Emma is a really big tennis star with a huge fan base. Until he got physically close to her, started having contact in the form of selfies, hugging, etc.
“That was the only moment in a month where I, the fitness coach, the security guard who was with us, was not with her at that moment.
“So, that man was assessing the situation and looking for the best moment to get closer to her. He had a strategy that was terrifying, he thought everything through, calculated it.
“It’s terrifying how much he, in essence, thought about it all and planned it. His strategy worked, and it was to get closer to her.”
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