British tennis player Emma Raducanu Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Women's Tennis Association has banned a man who exhibited "fixated behaviour" towards Emma Raducanu and was taken away by security personnel during the Briton's match at the Dubai Championship late on Tuesday.
Former US Open champion Raducanu appeared to be in tears as she approached the umpire's chair during the first set of her second-round match against Karolina Muchova.
The match was briefly halted after Raducanu spoke with the umpire, who quickly contacted tournament organisers. The 22-year-old stood behind the official's chair as the spectator was escorted away.
Raducanu fought back from 4-0 down to force a tiebreak before losing 7-6(6) 6-4.
"On Monday Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour," the WTA said in a statement on Wednesday.
"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 WTA is actively working with Emma and her team to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support."
Tournament organisers said they had worked in collaboration with the WTA's security team to identify and eject the individual.
"We support the WTA's decision to ban the individual in question from all WTA events, and share the tour's longstanding commitment to player welfare, safety and wellbeing," they said in a statement.
-Reuters
