Sports fans were left shocked when British tennis pro Emma Raducanu paused her match against Karolina Muchova at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February 2025. Initially, the reason for the interruption was unclear, but new details later revealed the alarming cause of “distress” was an unruly fan who first approached the star in a public area prior to the match. Emma previously dealt with a stalker in 2022, and it appears there is no connection between the two men.

What Happened to Emma Raducanu During Her Tennis Match?

In a video shared across social media, Emma paused her match against Karolina on February 18, 2025, and walked over to speak with the chair umpire, and seemingly explained that a man with “fixated behavior” was watching her in the stands during the match. After finishing their conversation, Emma then walked behind the chair to hide herself from view and began to cry. Karolina then walked over to comfort Emma. The video also showed Emma wiping tears from her face as she waited for the issue to be resolved.

What Happened to Emma Raducanu’s ‘Fixated Fan’?

The unidentified man was removed from the stands, and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) quickly addressed the situation with an official statement.

“On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour,” the WTA’s statement said. “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. Player safety is our top priority, and 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.”

The statement concluded, “We remain committed to collaborating with tournaments and their security teams worldwide to maintain a safe environment for all players.”

Emma also spoke on her own about the incident via Instagram Stories.

“Thank you for the messages of support. Difficult experience yesterday (Tuesday) 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,” Emma wrote, per an article from Tennis 365 published on February 20, 2025.

Karolina Muchova Reacted to Emma Raducanu’s Situation

After news of Emma’s situation spread, Karolina admitted that she was confused as to what was happening when it was actually occurring.

“Yeah, it was a strange situation,” the Czech champion told Tennis 365. “I honestly went for my serving. I didn’t even know something was happening. Then I saw she’s not on the other side. So, I went to check with the referee what [was] happening. She told me what [was] happening.”

Karolina explained that it was something she never wanted to see happen to anyone and she went over to help “calm [Emma] down a bit.”

“I’m happy they solved it pretty fast. I think she was fine after a while. Then we just kept going with the match,” she added. “I’m lucky, around me it’s nice fans, usually. Yeah, I wasn’t in the situation. Again, I felt sorry for her and for anyone who has to go through this.”

Emma Raducanu Dealt With a Stalker Before the Incident Involving an Unruly Fan

In late 2021, ex-Amazon delivery driver Amrit Magar showed up at her home three times, leaving unwanted gifts and flowers. He also allegedly sent her love letters and stole items from her property.

“Since all this has happened, I have felt creeped out,” Emma said in a statement read in court at the time. “I feel very apprehensive if I go out, especially if I am on my own.”

The married man was found guilty of stalking in 2022 and received a five-year restraining order but avoided jail time. In addition to the restraining order, he was sentenced with 18 months of community service and 200 hours of unpaid work time. He was also forced to wear an ankle monitor that tracked his location to verify he was abiding by the 8-week curfew given to him by the judge.