Emma Raducanu is expected to compete in Indian Wells (Image: Getty)
will in Indian Wells.
The British No. 2 has had a rough few weeks. She but, during her second-round match, became distressed when a ‘stalker’ turned up in the stands.
He was . It later emerged he had approached Raducanu the previous day. He has
Given what she went through in Dubai, it wouldn’t be surprising or frowned upon if Raducanu wanted to take a break and skip the upcoming ‘sunshine double’ of tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
But the world No. 55 has decided to compete in the Californian desert next week, where she made it into the main draw thanks to her own ranking.
It will be Raducanu’s first tournament since the incident in Dubai. The 22-year-old in her second-round match against Karolina Muchova after spotting a spectator who had previously exhibited “fixed behaviour” with her.
He was ejected from the match, and Raducanu continued playing, losing a tight contest 7-6(6) 6-4. In a statement, the WTA later said: “On Monday, February 17, was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour.
Emma Raducanu became distressed when a man who had shown ‘fixated behaviour’ came to her match (Image: Sky Sports)
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“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.”
Raducanu flew home and later took to to thank fans for their messages of support,
Dubai authorities confirmed Raducanu dropped the charges and said the man “signed a formal undertaking to maintain distance from her”.
The former US Open champion will now head State-side to compete in Indian Wells. And a fortnight of competition in the desert could be exactly what Raducanu needs after a tough time.
The British No. 2 has performed well in Indian Wells over the last couple of years, with her last two losses at the tournament coming to and .
In 2024, Raducanu thrashed Rebeka Masarova in her opening match and won via retirement in round two when Dayana Yastremska called it quits with the Brit leading 4-0.
It was the first time she had won back-to-back matches after making a comeback from injury earlier that year.
And in 2023, just weeks before she shut down her season to undergo triple surgery, Raducanu stormed into the last 16, beating two top-20 seeds en route.
Raducanu has not won back-to-back matches since the in January, and Indian Wells could be just the place for the Brit to rediscover her winning ways and gain some extra confidence.
If the world No. 55 can get some more victories under her belt, her decision to compete in Indian Wells could prove significant for the rest of her season.