Turin, 19 Feb (LaPresse) – Emma Raducanu burst into tears during her match in the second round of the Duty Free Tennis Championships', the second Wta 1000 tournament of the season being played on the concrete in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, due to the presence of a stalker in the audience. This was revealed in a statement by Wta. ‘On Monday 17 February, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public place by a man who displayed obsessive behaviour. The same individual was identified in the front rows during Emma's match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and subsequently expelled. ‘He will be banned from all Wta events pending a threat assessment,’ the Women's Tennis Association explains. ‘The safety of female players is our top priority and tournaments are guided by best security practices for international sporting events. The WTA is actively working with Emma and her team to ensure her well-being and provide all necessary support. We remain committed to working with tournaments and their teams around the world to maintain a safe environment for all players.’ The player in the third game of the first set against Czech Muchova had approached the chair judge and burst into tears. With the individual removed, the match resumed with Raducanu even recovering from 0-4 down in the first set but still ended up succumbing to Muchova 7-6(6) 6-4. This is not the first time Raducanu has had to deal with a stalker: it had already happened in 2022 a few months after her triumph at the 2021 Us Open, with a guy stalking her and breaking into her London home.