Ever wondered how an athlete feels when their safety is at high risk? Just ask the 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu, who in 2022 was relentlessly followed by a 35-year-old man, an ordeal that she “no longer felt safe at her home.” Fast forward to the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships, and the Brit encountered a “difficult experience” during her Tuesday night match against Karolina Muchova. This has opened the door for 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva to share her own harrowing experience- one that she endured at just 14 years old.

Raducanu’s story unfolded at 2-0 in the first set of her rain-delayed second-round match with Muchova. Visibly shaken by a man’s unsettling behavior from the stands, the former world No. 10 sought refuge behind the umpire’s chair, prompting an immediate pause in the match. After the umpire alerted the tournament organizers, the spectator was escorted from the stands. Meanwhile, Muchova offered comfort to Raducanu before play resumed.

Despite the emotional turmoil, Raducanu displayed remarkable resilience, returning to the court to a supportive round of applause. However, the disruption took its toll, and she ultimately fell into a tightly contested battle, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. 

The WTA’s Wednesday statement revealed that the same man ejected from the stands had previously approached Raducanu in a public area earlier in the week. However, the Tour said that the man has been “banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment”.

“Thank you for the messages of support. 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. Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament,” the British tennis player posted on her Instagram.

“Of course, after every loss I think every player receives a bunch of hateful messages. 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. That was still the one that I remember until today,” revealed Andreeva, who will face Iga Swiatek in today’s QF, to The National News on February 19th. The former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek isn’t immune to such incidents either!

The 23-year-old Swiatek disclosed a past close encounter with a fan at an event in Poland, saying, “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. There are fans that are kind of, I don’t know, everywhere. But I’m pretty sure that they don’t have any bad intentions. Obviously we are public persons, so we should always keep our eyes open and ready to react if we feel uncomfortable. I’m sure it must have been tough for Emma.”

As it stands, the British ace is now out of the Dubai Open, after enduring a tough match both physically and mentally. However, the conversation didn’t end there! Subsequent to her departure, Raducanu responded to recent wildcard entries, a matter that has again provoked fan criticism regarding the merit of such invitations.

Raducanu finally opened up about the wildcard entries in WTA tour

Raducanu’s goal for the 2025 season was unequivocally focused on recovering from a succession of injuries that had marred her Cinderella story at the 2021 US Open. In 2023 alone, she endured a left ankle injury, tonsillitis, and an even lower back issue, forcing her to withdraw from multiple tournaments that year. Still, she has been given 13 wildcard entries across 18 tournaments since her return to the court.

While her comeback has been challenging, with a withdrawal from Auckland because of a back spasm and early exits in the Singapore Open, Abu Dhabi Open, and even the Qatar Open, Raducanu remains resilient and optimistic. “I’m very appreciative, very grateful for all the wildcards I’ve received the last few weeks. I just really wanted to fight, do my best,” she told the National. 

With Jane O’Donoghue returning as a mentor and the WTA’s support following recent on-court incidents, the situation looks promising for Raducanu. Could 2025 be the year she makes a comeback?