The LTA has released a statement after a “fixated” man was ejected from Emma Raducanu’s second-round match in Dubai.
The world No. 61 became distressed and started crying early in the match. It later emerged that a spectator “fixated” with Raducanu was removed from the stands and banned from future WTA events.
The governing body for British tennis has now confirmed that they have been in contact with Raducanu and have support available.
Raducanu’s second-round match against Karolina Muchova was delayed and eventually rescheduled onto Court 2 following a day of heavy rain in Dubai.
Muchova got off to a strong start, taking a 2-0 lead, when Raducanu quickly became distressed. The Brit burst into tears and approached the umpire. The Czech player soon joined them, consoling a pertubed Raducanu.
The WTA later confirmed that a man was removed from the stands. “On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour,” the women’s tennis tour said in a statement.
“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.”
The LTA has now released their own statement, confirming they had been in contact with Raducanu and her team regarding the terrifying incident.
An LTA spokesperson said: “This incident once again highlights issues around safety that all players, but female players in particular, can face.
“We have support available for British players and have been in contact with Emma and her team following the events in Dubai.
“We have extensive security arrangements at our events in Britain and keep these under constant review. The tours have strong processes in place already and we will continue to work together along with police and security providers to deal with situations like this robustly.”
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