‘Fixated’ man who approached Emma Raducanu in Dubai is given restraining order
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Britain's Emma Raducanu was given a letter by a man in a public area of the Dubai tournament on Feb 17, before he turned up at her match the following day against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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DUBAI - A man who showed “fixated behaviour” towards British tennis player Emma Raducanu at a tournament in Dubai has been detained and given a restraining order, police said on Feb 20.
A clearly upset Raducanu, 22, approached the umpire’s chair after losing the first two games in her second-round defeat to Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic on Feb 18.
Raducanu briefly took refuge behind the umpire’s chair and alerted officials to the man’s presence before he was led away.
Muchova rushed over to comfort Raducanu before play resumed.
The man had approached Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, in a public area on Feb 17 and gave her a letter and took a photograph before taking a courtside seat during the first few rows for her match on Feb 18.
“Following Raducanu’s complaint, Dubai Police detained a tourist who approached her, left her a note, took her photograph, and engaged in behaviour that caused her distress,” police said in a statement.
“While Raducanu later chose to drop the charges, the individual signed a formal undertaking to maintain distance from her and has been banned from future tournaments.”
The WTA had already said it would ban the man “from all WTA events”.
On Feb 19, Raducanu thanked fans for their support after what she called a “difficult experience” and said “I’ll be okay”. AFP
