- Emma Raducanu broke in tears on the field during her match on Tuesday
- She released a statement after a 'fixed' man was removed from the crowd
Emma Raducanu posted a statement to fans on Instagram after he was left in tears on Tuesday when an 'fixed' man was removed from the crowd during her second round match in Dubai.
Raducanu was only two games to former top 10 player Karolina Muchova when the game was stopped with the former US Open Champion in Tears, before he quickly discussed the issue with referee Miriam Bley who was seen with communication with tournament organizers through her Walkie-talkie.
The 22-year-old then hid behind the referee's chair and had to be comforted by Bley and her opponent Muchova before the game could resume. Raducanu was eventually beaten 7-6, 6-4 in a tightly fought match.
The WTA confirmed that a man had approached Raducanu during her first round match against Maria Sakkari, and added a statement that the administrative body was working with the player to guarantee her safety. The man is banned from WTA events.
Raducanu has now went to social media to break her silence about the incident.
In addition to a photo of the Jane Austen -Roman 'Emma' and a cup of coffee, Raducanu wrote: 'Thanks for the messages from Support. Difficult experience yesterday, but I am well and proud of how I came back and competed despite what happened at the start of the game. Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and good luck for her for the rest of the tournament. '
Emma Raducanu broke in tears in the early stages of her second round game on Tuesday
Raducanu was able to complete her match after the 'fixed' man was removed from the crowd
Raducanu has now posted a message on Instagram to thank fans for their support after her test
It is understood that Raducanu was shocked after he had seen the man a number of times before.
She was able to compile herself to complete the match on Tuesday after she was reassured that action was taken by security.
With research on Wednesday, Raducanu had to fly to London.
Organizers of the Dubai Open had previously released their own statement after the test of Raducanu.
“We support the statement earlier today by the WTA with regard to an incident with Emma Raducanu on 17 February,” said their statement.
'The tournament security team worked in collaboration with the WTA security team to proactively identify the person in question and to immediately deviate from the stadium during the second round match of Emma on Tuesday.
'We support the WTA's decision to ban the person in question of all WTA events and to share the long -term dedication of the Tour to welfare, safety and well -being of players.
“We thank Emma for her contribution to this year's tournament and look back at her next year.”
Raducanu is rather the target of unwanted and disturbing attention of obsessive fans, and saw a five -year ban published on a stalker who walked 23 miles to her parental home at the end of 2021.
Amrit Magar, 35, was convicted at the beginning of 2022 after he was found guilty of sending love notes, visiting Raducanu's house on three separate occasions and stealing a shoe that he believed was to the then 19-year-old player.
Raducanu later admitted in a statement that was shared with the court that the experience looked at her 'constantly over her shoulder' and had the feeling that her 'freedom had been taken'.
The player previously wanted to build on breaking her losing streak after a confident defeat of Sakkari in the first round.
Raducanu had previously lost three games in a row, making it over of the first round in both the Abu Dhabi Open and the Qatar open on the heels of her Australian Open Exit last month.
More to follow …
