Tennis-Raducanu says she struggled to breathe during Dubai stalker incident

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INDIAN WELLS, California (Reuters) – Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu said she could not see the ball through tears and was barely able to breathe after noticing a stalker during her match at the Dubai Championships two weeks ago.

Raducanu looked distressed during the opening set of her second-round clash against Karolina Muchova and stood behind the umpire’s chair as security personnel led the man out.

The 22-year-old then resumed the match and lost 7-6(6) 6-4.

“I was obviously very distraught,” Raducanu told reporters in Indian Wells, where she will return for the first time since the ordeal with enhanced security.

“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 said she had previously been approached twice off the court in Dubai by the man, who was also present during her matches in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha in preceding weeks.

She decided to drop the charges against the man who had been detained by Dubai Police. The man has since been banned from all WTA tournaments.

“It was a very emotional time,” added Raducanu, who took a week off before returning to the tour.

“After the match I did break down in tears, but not necessarily because I lost. There was just so much emotion in the last few weeks of the events happening, and I just needed that week off to take a breather and come here.

“I feel a lot better.”

Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion who has slipped to 55 in the world rankings due to form and fitness issues, will play Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in the first round of Indian Wells with a win ensuring a match against third seed Coco Gauff.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)