Emma Raducanu says she 'will be okay' after a man was ejected ...

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Emma Raducanu says she will be okay after a man was ejected

By George Ramsay, CNN (CNN) — Emma Raducanu said she will “be okay” after a “fixated” spectator was ejected from her match at the Dubai Tennis

By George Ramsay, CNN

(CNN) — Emma Raducanu said she will “be okay” after a “fixated” spectator was ejected from her match at the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this week.

According to the WTA, the governing body of women’s tennis, a man approached Raducanu in a public area on Monday and displayed “fixated behavior.”

The same man was then identified again in the stands during the British player’s match against Karolína Muchová on Tuesday before being removed and banned from all WTA events “pending a threat assessment,” the WTA said.

Raducanu appeared shaken at the start of the match against Muchová. She went to speak to the umpire while trailing 2-0 in the first set and was then comforted by her Czech opponent after hiding behind the umpire’s chair.

“Thank you for the messages of support,” Raducanu wrote on an Instagram Story on Wednesday. “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 Karolína for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”

Muchová went on to win the contest 7-6(6), 6-4 and, having also won her third-round match, is now facing Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea in the quarterfinals in Dubai.

After the incident, the WTA said that player safety is its “top priority,” adding: “Tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events.

“The WTA is actively working with Emma and her team to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support. We remain committed to collaborating with tournaments and their security teams worldwide to maintain a safe environment for all players.”

CNN has contacted Dubai Police for further comment.

Raducanu shot to fame when she won the 2021 US Open aged 18 having come through qualifying. She has struggled with form and injury since then and is currently ranked No. 61 in the world.

After reaching the third round of the Australian Open last month, Raducanu has since suffered early exits at four consecutive tournaments, though did defeat Greece’s Maria Sakkari in Dubai before the loss to Muchová.