“Couldn’t See Through Tears, Couldn’t Breathe”: Ex-US Open Champion Shares Traumatic ‘Stalker’ Experience

Emma Raducanu revealed Tuesday that she “could not see the ball through tears” after being targeted by a stalker during the Dubai WTA 1000 tournament last month. The British tennis star was distraught after a man then displayed “fixing behaviors” which appeared at a court seat during his defeat against Karolina Muchova. The man was escorted by security, later gave a prohibition order and forbidden to attend the events of the WTA tour. The former champion of the United States Open, Raducanu, 22, made her first appearance at the tournament since her Dubai campaign that has been disturbed during this week’s event in California.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday, Raducanu said that she was determined not to let the incident derail her career.

“There is a part of you who thinks:” I’m not going to let an average age flipper stop doing what I like to do “,” said Raducanu to The Athletic.

“I am here because I feel much better now. Many have obviously happened after Dubai, so I just needed to take my time after,” she said.

“I think the appeal of the Indian Wells being my favorite tournament, I just couldn’t get away from it.”

Saying the details of her Dubai test, where she briefly took refuge behind the referee’s chair after having alerted managers of the presence of man, Raducanu said that she had been “obviously very distraught”.

“I saw him the first match of the match, and I said to myself:” I don’t know how I’m going to end up, “Raducanu told journalists.

“I could literally not see the ball through tears, I could barely breathe. I played Karolina, who is like the Top 17 in the world or something, and I don’t see the ball.

The first four games of the match “escaped me because I was not on the field, to be honest. I don’t really know how I gathered,” she said.

“It was a very moving period and after the match, I completely sank into tears.”

The tournament organizers do not take any chance with Raducanu when they return to Indian Wells this week, where security staff will be deployed to protect them when they are on site during the event.

Raducanu, who was also targeted by a stalker in his family home in 2022, said the incidents made her hyper-vigilant.

“Security is very important,” said Raducanu. “Even if players’ hotels are public information, it is not necessarily the most useful and anyone can enter.

“This is obviously a weak point, but I do my best. I am still, and now even more, very aware and very alert and sensitive and I am not really going nowhere.”

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