Emma Raducanu thanks fans after Dubai incident, Iga Swiatek says WTA must protect players

DUBAI—The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships acted swiftly in removing a spectator who had exhibited “fixated behavior” toward 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu on Tuesday.

Raducanu, who bowed out of the tournament 7-6 (6), 6-4 to Karolina Muchova after appearing shaken up by the spectator during the match, took to social media the following evening to check in and thank fans for their support.

Read more: WTA to ban spectator exhibiting “fixated behavior” towards Raducanu in Dubai

“Difficult experience yesterday but I'll be okay and proud of how I came back and competed despite what happened at the start of the match,” she wrote on her Instagram stories. “Thank you to Karolína for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”

It's WTA's kind of responsibility to keep us safe, for that environment to be safe for us. Iga Swiatek

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek revealed she encountered a similar issue of her own at a charity event held at home in 2022—indicating instances like what Raducanu suffered may be more common than previously thought.

“We were able to avoid one incident that might have been scary back in the day when I was hosting my own event in Poland,” Swiatek said after defeating Dayana Yastremska in three sets on Thursday. “Yeah, there are fans that are kind of, I don't know, everywhere.”

Raducanu was two games into her match with 2023 Roland Garros finalist Karolina Muchova when she became visibly distressed after approaching the chair umpire, and was later consoled by Muchova as the spectator was removed from Court 2.

A statement from the WTA confirmed: “On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behavior. This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and subsequently ejected. He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment.”

“I'm sure it must have been tough for Emma,” added Dubai’s No. 2 seed, lending support for her fellow former US Open champion. “I know the WTA banned this person from going on-site anywhere, to any tournament. So, I guess the reaction was pretty solid.

“I like that because it's WTA's kind of responsibility to keep us safe, for that environment to be safe for us. I guess with their help it's fine.”

Indeed, the incident has done little to dampen player enthusiasm for the WTA 1000 level event, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this week.

“I feel safe in Dubai,” said Elena Rybakina, who reached the final of this event back in 2020. “It's like my second home, so I really like it here.

“Of course, when it's [a] crowd, you never know who you can meet. Yeah, for me it's okay.”

Mirra Andreeva echoed Swiatek’s sentiments towards Raducanu and reminded the press of the pervasiveness of uncomfortable fan interactions—particularly on social media.

“I remember once when I was young, when I was 14 years old, I was playing one of my first ITF tournaments and I received a message after my loss that, ‘Look around, because I'm going to find you and I'm going to cut your arms,’” recalled the 17-year-old.

“To be honest I've never felt that I'm in danger. We have a lot of security around us when we go out of the court and we sign the balls and we take pictures. Me, I always see three to four security guards around me, so I feel very safe. I've never, ever thought that something can happen. Thanks to the organizers I guess that they provide us with safety.”

As much as the tour and tournament can assist, Swiatek noted that the player themselves must feel empowered to recognize and report suspicious behavior from people on the grounds.

“A player will know when it's too much,” said the Pole, who will face Andreeva in the quarterfinals. Everybody has a different limit.”