The suspected stalker who left Emma Raducanu in tears in Dubai had shown up at the tennis venue despite an enhanced security detail being already in place around the Briton.

The 2021 US Open champion became distressed, and eventually broke down in tears, after spotting him among spectators in the early stages of her second-round defeat to Karolina Muchova.

Sources based in Dubai have since told Telegraph Sport the British No 2 had recognised him as the same suspect who approached her on Monday and handed over a letter.

Minutes into her second-round encounter, Raducanu hid behind the umpire’s chair and looked panicked as the umpire communicated for help, before the man was led away by authorities.

Other sources close to the situation said Raducanu had been startled after seeing the man a number of times previously. During the match, she was able to compose herself to play again after being reassured that action was being taken by security. As investigations continued on Wednesday, Raducanu was flying back to London.

“Thank you for the messages of support,” she said in a statement via Instagram. “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.”

The security incident has left authorities at pains to underline that Raducanu and other players will be safe at upcoming tournaments, including the French Open and Wimbledon, with increased security expected.

Credit: Lisa_Talking/X

Alex Bomberg, a VIP security specialist who runs Intelligent Protection, said: “I’m a resident of Dubai. In Dubai itself, I can tell you now the authorities will be taking this very seriously.” The identity of the man is unknown at this stage, though Telegraph Sport understands he is not a UK national.

The WTA declined to comment on the exact circumstances of the situation but confirmed it was working with Raducanu and her team “to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support” and said the man would be banned from all WTA events “pending a threat assessment.”

In 2022, a man who stalked Raducanu while she was still a teenager was given a five-year restraining order after he visited her Bromley home three times following her US Open win.

Bomberg added: “I’ve seen that the WTA have put out a statement, and I know they take player safety very seriously.

“Obviously, Emma’s had issues in the past. I know that she had a case a few years back. This is the sort of thing that is always a big concern. You wonder how, from a security point of view, how people are stopped from entering premises. Apart from using facial recognition technology, the only other way is using people who are ‘super recognisers’ in their security team. People who recognise individuals that are on watch lists and can alert the authorities or alert the security team.

“With this guy, I don’t know if there’s any previous interactions with this individual but what’s led up to this? We don’t know yet, but it looks like it’s being dealt with seriously.

“It’s always a difficult situation. VIPs get handed cards – they get handed gifts and stuff like that. It’s important for the people that are around them doing their security to be educated on this. Many years ago, the police in the UK used to refer to these individuals as ‘mad, bad or sad’. Now our understanding of fixated people has come a long way but it’s always a big challenge.”

An LTA spokesperson said: “This incident once again highlights issues around safety that all players, but female players in particular, can face. We have support available for British players and have been in contact with Emma and her team following the events in Dubai. We have extensive security arrangements at our events in Britain and keep these under constant review. The tours have strong processes in place already and we will continue to work together along with police and security providers to deal with situations like this robustly.”

Truth behind Raducanu’s tears laid bare after sinister twist

As a distraught Raducanu approached the umpire just two games into her match against Muchova, most people watching would have been thinking the same thing.

“Let’s hope that Raducanu isn’t in trouble here,” said Sky Sports commentator Candy Reid about a player whose career has been plagued by injury ever since her US Open triumph. But when the 22-year-old did not immediately call for the trainer and then appeared to seek refuge behind umpire Miriam Bley’s chair, it quickly became clear something – or someone – else had driven her to tears.

While some questioned whether the Dubai Tennis Championships were witnessing a return of the breathing difficulties that saw her retire mid-match on her 2021 Wimbledon debut, it later transpired the reality was much more sinister.

“On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour,” the WTA said in a statement on Wednesday morning. “This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday and subsequently ejected.” It added that the man had been banned from all WTA events, “pending a threat assessment”.

That this was all too much for Raducanu is no surprise given it took place almost three years to the day since a stalker who walked 23 miles to her London home was handed a five-year restraining order. Amrit Magar, a former Amazon delivery driver from north-west London, turned up outside the property on three occasions in the months after her surprise US Open win. He loitered outside, left unwanted gifts and cards, and stole property. He made the then teenager feel she was “constantly looking over her shoulder”, Bromley Magistrates’ Court heard.

Raducanu, whose father Ian had been alerted to Magar’s presence at her home via a doorbell camera, never personally encountered her stalker. In stark contrast, her latest tormentor is said to have got close enough to hand her a letter before being allowed to sit in “the first few rows” of her match against Karolina Muchova. No wonder she looked panicked. In 1993, Monica Selles was infamously stabbed on court by a crazed Steffi Graf fan.

Just 48 hours before Tuesday’s trauma, Raducanu had been celebrating ending a four-match losing run, the worst of her career, by beating Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-2 in the first round of the latest WTA 1000 tournament. She had previously defeated the Greek in the semi-finals of the US Open in 2021 and at Wimbledon last year.

When she returned to the court at 9.21pm (5.21pm, GMT) for her second-round match, there was no obvious sign she had been accosted by a potential stalker the day after that win. She was already facing a late start after her match was switched to court two and this was compounded by a rain shower following the warm-up.

After a delay of almost half an hour, the players returned and the match got under way on a court with a single grandstand behind the north baseline. Raducanu began facing this grandstand, with Muchova serving from the opposite side. Following several long points in which Raducanu put pressure on the Muchova serve, the Czech held to 30 when the Briton netted to gift the world No 17 the last two points.

The first change of ends meant Raducanu serving from the north baseline, with the grandstand right behind her. She struggled to get her serve going as the score again reached 30-30. After sending a backhand well long, she netted another following 13-shot rally to fall 2-0 behind.

Raducanu immediately approached the umpire, with Reid saying: “Let’s hope that Raducanu isn’t in trouble here. Unfortunately, we cannot hear what’s going on but it doesn’t look good, does it, for Raducanu?” Raducanu broke down as she moved behind the umpire’s chair, with Muchova approaching to try to console her. Bley could be seen speaking into a walkie talkie and climbing down from her chair before Raducanu sat in her own chair and wiped tears away with a towel. Reid added: “You never want to see a player in tears on court. This is meant to be a fun game.”

Credit: Sky Sports Tennis

It is unclear exactly when the man, said not to be a UK national, was ejected from the court. But Raducanu went on to fall 4-0 behind before battling back to take the first set to a tie break. After failing to win that, she lost the second in a 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 defeat that finished after midnight local time.

With mystery still surrounding the cause of her earlier distress, the WTA issued a statement on Wednesday morning confirming what lay behind it.

It added: “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. We remain committed to collaborating with tournaments and their security teams worldwide to maintain a safe environment for all players.”