Emma Raducanu "fixated fan" WTA event Dubai; Hotel meeting

The "fixated" man removed from Emma Raducanu's second-round clash in the WTA event in Dubai reportedly approached the tennis star in her hotel and gave her a letter in the lead up to the match.

Raducanu said she will "be OK" after what she called a “difficult experience” which forced the the 2021 US Open champion to approach the chair umpire early against 14th-seeded Karolina Muchova. She was in tears, and the WTA later linked her reaction to the presence of an unidentified man.

According to reports in the UK, the man came up to Raducanu in her hotel and handed over a letter, leaving her distressed a day before the fixture.

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She reported the incident to on-site security and WTA staff, The Mail Sport reports.

When the same person was seen by a horrified Raducanu, tennis authorities immediately removed him.

The 22-year-old British player responded with a statement on her Instagram account.

"Thank you for the messages of support. Difficult experience yesterday but I’ll be OK and proud of how I came back and competed despite what happened at the start of the match," Raducanu wrote.

Emma Raducanu in tears. Tennis TV

"Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”

While no details have yet been revealed about the man's identity, it is understood he is not a British national.

Since rocketing to fame with her lone grand slam victory, the Brit has already dealt with a similar situation in recent years.

She was still a teenager when a delivery driver from London was handed a five-year restraining order in 2022 after repeatedly visiting Raducanu's home.

Amrit Magar loitered outside the tennis player's house, left unwanted gifts and cards, and stole property from her porch, leaving the star unsafe in her own home and "constantly looking over her shoulder".

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"Since all this has happened, I have felt creeped out," Raducanu said in a statement at the time. "I feel very apprehensive if I go out, especially if I am on my own.

"Because of this I feel like my freedom has been taken away from me. I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I feel on edge and worried this could happen again."

Raducanu hid behind the umpire's chair. Tennis Channel

Raducanu's meeting with Muchova had originally been scheduled for court one at Dubai's Aviation Club Tennis Centre, however rain forced a switch to court two.

That court is positioned between two others, with fans seated behind the baseline rather than along either side of the court.

This led to Raducanu directly facing the man from one end of the court, while knowing he was behind her at the other.

On Wednesday, the WTA issued a statement explaining that Raducanu was approached in a public space Monday “by a man who exhibited fixated behavior” and “this same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday ... and subsequently ejected.”

“He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment."

Emma Raducanu of Great Britain. Getty

The WTA said it was working with Raducanu and her team “to ensure her wellbeing and provide any necessary support.”

If history is any guide then the WTA will look to boost security at its events.

Monica Seles, a former world No.1 from Serbian Yugoslavia, was stabbed during a changeover at an event in Hamburg in 1993.

The man who attacked her was 38-year-old German Günter Parche.

Parche was obsessed with Seles' German rival, Steffi Graff, and wanted to see her restored as the world No.1 when he got past security and plunged a knife into Seles' upper back, before being subdued.

Raducanu rose to fame in 2021 by winning the US Open as a qualifier, one of the the most unlikely achievements in tennis.

She hasn’t advanced past the third round at a major since then and has spent long stints recovering from injuries.

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