Raducanu Admits She 'Couldn't Breathe And See Ball Through Tears' During Stalker Incident
News
Emma Raducanu opened up about how she felt during the incident with a stalker at the 2025 Dubai Championships.
The WTA 1000 event in Dubai was an event of mixed emotions for Raducanu. She entered the tournament in the United Arab Emirates on a four-match winning streak. She was able to end that streak in the first round against Maria Sakkari, but the following match turned into a disaster.
It wasn't a disaster because of Raducanu or her play, quite the contrary. The British player played an incredible match, considering the circumstances. She lost to Karolina Muchova 6-7(6), 4-6.
The reason why this loss was so incredible despite being a loss was the incident that happened early in the match. After the second game was played, Raducanu approached the chair umpire, hid behind the chair, and started crying.
At the time, it wasn't clear what was happening, but it became obvious soon after the match. Raducanu was followed by a stalker, which was a terrible experience for her.
She had incidents with stalkers in the past, and she met this person already before her second-round match. That's why seeing him in the stands during her match impacted her so much.
Raducanu will return to the tennis courts at the 2025 Indian Wells Open, where she was given a brutal draw. The British player will take on Moyuka Uchijima in the first round of the tournament, and if she wins, her opponent will be Coco Gauff.
Ahead of the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, the 2021 US Open champion talked to the British media, and she opened up about the incident.
Raducanu admitted that she saw the person in the stands already during the first match of the game. At the time, she didn't even know whether she would be able to finish the match, as she didn't feel good at all.
She admitted that it impacted her so much that she couldn't breathe and almost didn't see the ball through her tears.
"I was obviously very distraught. I saw him in the first game of the match and I was like, 'I don't know how I'm going to finish.' I literally couldn't see the ball through tears. I could barely breathe. I was like, 'I need to just take a breather.'"
Raducanu admitted that she also cried after the match. Of course, she didn't cry because of the loss but because of everything that happened on the court.
"It was a very emotional time. After the match I did break down in tears, but not necessarily because I lost. There was just so much emotion in the last few weeks of the events happening, and I just needed that week off to take a breather and come here. I feel a lot better."
Luckily, the 22-year-old player feels much better now, and she will want to return to winning ways in Indian Wells. Raducanu has increased security during the tournament in the United States.
