Why Emma Raducanu choosing to finish her match in Dubai despite stalker panic is even more important than her US Open win

Emma Raducanu's resilience has been the talk of the town after she overcame a panic attack at the Dubai Tennis Championships 2025. Just a few minutes into her second-round match against Karolina Muchova on Tuesday, February 18, she made a beeline for the umpire's chair in tears.

As Raducanu sought refuge, her opponent rushed to comfort her, while the umpire and the organizers tried to make sense of what caused her such distress. It soon came to light that there was a man in the stands who was stalking her, and he was promptly ejected.

The young Brit composed herself and resumed the match after a while. She put up a tough fight despite all that had transpired but couldn't get the better of Muchova and eventually lost the match 7-6 (6), 6-4.

The WTA also issued a statement after the incident. The man in question was apprehended and with his identity known, he was barred from attending all WTA events in the future. They reiterated their stand on the safety of players and promised to look after Raducanu's well-being as well.

The way Raducanu soldiered on in light of what happened earlier is perhaps her biggest win on the court in recent times, even surpassing her monumental triumph at the US Open 2021.

Emma Raducanu stormed to her maiden Grand Slam title in style and didn't drop a set the entire tournament, right from the qualifying rounds. It is an achievement that is unlikely to be matched for a long time. A lot has happened in her life since then, both on and off the court, and that's why standing up tall in the face of adversity should make her feel proud of herself.

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Emma Raducanu's resilience is admirable considering she had to previously deal with another stalker as well

Emma Raducanu at the Dubai Tennis Championships 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Emma Raducanu didn't arrive at the Dubai Tennis Championships in the best state of mind. Since reaching the third round of the Australian Open a few weeks ago, she had suffered three successive first-round exits. Despite putting on a brave face, another loss would have been quite tough to handle. However, she beat former top 10 player Maria Sakkari quite easily in her opener to snap her losing streak.

With that monkey off her back, Raducanu sought to focus on the next round. However, the appearance of the stalker during her second-round match caused her to lose focus for a while. She was paralyzed with fear, and the experience was quite triggering for her as she was stalked by another man a few years ago.

A delivery driver for Amazon was convicted of stalking her in 2022. The man visited her house multiple times and even took her father's shoe with him as a souvenir after mistaking it for hers. The ordeal was quite traumatic for her and changed her as a person. She was constantly worried and didn't even feel safe in her own home.

This was one of the extreme cases which ended up being public. Players, especially high-profile ones like Raducanu, get a lot of weird messages online from a bunch of creeps. While most of them don't follow up on what they say, it is a difficult life to lead, to be constantly looking over your shoulders.

The appearance of another stalker in Dubai must have given Emma Raducanu flashbacks to what happened to her a few years ago, given her immediate breakdown. Even if she had opted to retire, no one would have blamed her given her past experience. However, she chose to soldier on and remained defiant. Furthermore, this incident was broadcast to the world at large, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.

One would obviously prefer that their breakdown would be kept private. With so many thoughts racing through her mind, Raducanu was able to calm herself down, and not only that but also play at a high level.

By doing so, she also sent out a strong message that she wouldn't be bullied by such predators, and others could follow her lead as well. It is okay to be vulnerable but it is equally important to bounce back. In an ideal world she, or anyone else for that matter, shouldn't even be in this situation in the first place. There are a lot of ways to react in such a situation, and all responses are valid.

What Emma Raducanu faced goes beyond tennis. This is also a harsh reality for countless women who have to deal with such creeps who make their lives a living hell on a daily basis. She's one of the fortunate ones who can afford to safeguard herself from unsavory situations in numerous ways.

However, even with all her privileges, Emma Raducanu wasn't exempt from being put under severe mental agony as evidenced by her multiple brushes with stalkers. Hopefully, she's able to put this episode behind her and is able to enjoy what she does without a care.