Emma Raducanu has recalled the emotional distress she endured from her stalking nightmare in Dubai.
Raducanu was the target of ‘fixated behaviour’ from a man whilst she competed at the Dubai Tennis Championships last month.
She was visibly emotional after spotting him in the crowd during her second round match against Karolina Muchova.
The man, who first approached the 22-year-old at a cafe and handed her a letter, was ejected and detained by Dubai police.
Raducanu bravely finished the match against Muchova, losing 6-7 [6-8] 4-6, and has now spoken to reporters on the ordeal she faced.
She said: “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 also added: “Since that incident I have definitely got increased attention and greater security.
“All we can do is look at what happened and react to it in a better way, in a more positive way, rather than looking back and blaming the situation.
“Now it is being dealt with better, so for me that’s important.
“I’m always now very aware and not necessarily doing things on my own any more. I’m always with someone and always being watched.”
Raducanu also confirmed that she had been approached by the person twice, and she became particularly concerned when he followed her to a cafe and handed her a letter with his personal details.
“There were two instances and it was the second one that I just got freaked out by because the first one was more like a normal fan approaching you,” Raducanu said.
“He watched me in the coffee shop for a while. The second incident was really worrying.”
Raducanu will compete at Indian Wells this week, and do so with an ex-US secret service agent overseeing her security.
After Dubai, she headed back to the UK for some time away before making the decision to head to Indian Wells.
Her arrival at the Tennis Garden has had a positive impact too as she looks forward to one of the calendar’s most popular tournaments.
“I just had a week of nothing,” Raducanu said. “It was nice. I read a lot. I finished two books and spent most of my time in Gail’s [coffee shop] and Waterstones, to be honest.
“I definitely laid low. Even when I was in England, I wasn’t really going out much. I think it was just a big shock. I wasn’t sure if I was going to play here, because I didn’t know if I was going to be ready, and the last thing I wanted to do was play if I wasn’t ready.
“Since being here, I’ve definitely come into myself a lot more, and feeling happier, feeling more like myself again. I’m happy I made that decision. I think the allure of Indian Wells being my favourite tournament, I couldn’t just really step away from it.”
Raducanu faces Moyuka Uchijima in the first round of Indian Wells, with the winner coming up against Coco Gauff in the second.
