A man targeted Emma Raducanu and displayed “fixated behavior” toward her in a public setting prior to her match against Karolína Muchová in the second round of the Dubai Championships.

After the man was seen sitting in the first few rows, Raducanu broke down in tears and had to take an unplanned break during the game.

After the match’s second game, the British tennis player approached the umpire, spoke briefly, and then moved to a small area between the barrier netting and the back of the official’s chair.

Muchová went to comfort the 22-year-old after the umpire promptly called the tournament organizers. After the match Raducanu posted an update on Instagram saying: “Thank you for the messages of support. 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,” she added.

Raducanu rose to fame in 2021 by winning the U.S. Open as an 18-year-old unseeded qualifier, one of the the most unlikely achievements in tennis.

She hasn’t advanced past the third round at a major since then and has spent long stints recovering from injuries.

In 2022, whilst Raducanu was still a teenager, a man in the UK was handed a five-year restraining order for stalking her after walking 23 miles to her family home.