Female tennis players have voiced their concerns about safety and online threats following Emma Raducanu’s unsettling courtside incident in Dubai.

Raducanu appeared visibly distressed during her second-round loss to Karolina Muchova at the Dubai Tennis Championships after noticing a man in the crowd displaying ‘fixated behavior.’

The individual was later removed from the stands, and it was revealed that he had also approached her at her hotel the previous day.

Following the incident, Raducanu shared a brief message on Instagram, expressing gratitude for the support from fans and affirming her determination to move past the ‘difficult experience.’

This alarming event has once again highlighted the broader issue of security for elite female athletes, both at sporting events and online.

Raducanu has faced similar challenges in the past. In 2022, Amrit Magar was convicted of stalking her and received a five-year restraining order after walking 23 miles to her home.

A court was told that the incident left Raducanu feeling unsafe, constantly looking over her shoulder, and uneasy in her own home.

In light of the latest episode, several other players have come forward with their own stories.

World No. 2 Iga Swiatek recalled a frightening encounter with a fan during a tournament in her home country of Poland.

‘We were able to avoid one incident that might have been scary back in the day when I was hosting my own event in Poland,’ Swiatek recalled.

‘There are fans that are kind of, I don’t know, everywhere. But I’m pretty sure that they don’t have any bad intentions.

‘Obviously we are public persons, so we should always keep our eyes open and be ready to react if we feel uncomfortable. I’m sure it must have been tough for Emma.’

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, who is set to face Swiatek in the Dubai quarter-finals, revealed that she has been subjected to graphic threats online following her losses.

‘After every loss I think every player receives a bunch of hateful messages,’ Andreeva revealed.

‘I remember once when I was young, when I was 14 years old, I was playing one of my first ITF tournaments and I received a message after my loss that said: ‘Look around because I’m going to find you and I’m going to cut your arms’.

‘That was still the one that I remember to this day.’

Mirra Andreeva opens up on trauma of being threatened to have her arms cut

Mirra Andreeva expressed sympathy for Emma Raducanu, revealing that she received a disturbing message three years ago that has stayed with her ever since.

Following Raducanu’s unsettling encounter with a stalker at both her hotel and on the court, WTA officials and security in Dubai swiftly identified, removed, and banned the individual from the venue.

The incident has reignited discussions about player safety on the tour.

While many players have praised the WTA’s efforts in protecting them, social media abuse remains a serious concern.

Reflecting on Raducanu’s experience, Andreeva recalled receiving a chilling threat from someone telling her to “cut your arms.”

“Of course, after every loss I think every player receives a bunch of hateful messages,” the Russian, who turns 18 in April, said in Dubai.

“I remember once when I was young, when I was 14 years old, I was playing one of my first ITF tournaments.

“And I received a message after my loss which said: ‘Look around, because I’m going to find you and I’m going to cut your arms.’

“That was still the one that I remember until today.”

The WTA remains ‘committed’ to protecting players

After the man attempted to deliver a letter to Raducanu at her hotel, officials were alerted, preventing him from reaching her.

However, he later showed up to watch Raducanu’s match against Karolina Muchova.

That was when security intervened and took decisive action.

“Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events,” the WTA said after the Raducanu incident.

“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.”

Novak Djokovic has called for a major overhaul of tennis’ anti-doping system, citing “inconsistencies” in how cases involving top players like Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek are handled compared to those of lower-ranked athletes.

World No. 1 Sinner agreed to a three-month ban on Saturday, accepting “partial responsibility” for errors made by his team that led to two positive tests for traces of clostebol in March last year.

Initially, Sinner had been cleared by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in August, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), seeking a potential two-year ban.

In a surprising turn, WADA later withdrew its appeal and reached a settlement with Sinner, imposing a reduced three-month suspension.

Similarly, in another high-profile case last year, five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek received a one-month ban after testing positive for the prohibited heart medication trimetazidine.

“There’s a majority of the players that I’ve talked to in the locker room, not just in the last few days, but also last few months, that are not happy with the way this whole process has been handled,” said Djokovic.

“A majority of the players don’t feel that it’s fair. A majority of the players feel like there is favouritism happening. It seems like, it appears that you can almost affect the outcome if you are a top player, if you have access to the top lawyers.”

Meanwhile, former world No. 1 Simona Halep, who recently retired, was initially given a four-year ban by the ITIA in 2022 after testing positive for the blood-boosting drug roxadustat.

Halep maintained that the positive test was due to a contaminated supplement and took her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which ruled in her favor and reduced the suspension to nine months.

“Simona Halep and (Britain’s) Tara Moore and some other players that are maybe less known that have been struggling to resolve their cases for years, or have gotten the ban for years,” said Djokovic.

“There is so much inconsistencies between the cases.”

Djokovic, set to make his return at the Qatar Open this week after withdrawing from last month’s Australian Open semi-finals due to injury, insists that reforms are necessary.

“Right now it’s a ripe time for us to really address the system, because the system and the structure obviously doesn’t work (for) anti-doping, it’s obvious,” he said.

“I hope that in the next period of the near future that the governing bodies are going to come together, of our tours and the tennis ecosystem, and try to find a more effective way to deal with these processes.

“It’s inconsistent, and it appears to be very unfair.”

“If you are going to treat every case individually or independently, which is what’s happening, then there’s no consistency, then there is no transparency, and some cases are transparent, some are not,” he continued.

“The problem is that right now there is a lack of trust generally from the tennis players, both male and female, towards WADA and ITIA, and the whole process.”

Jannik Sinner could face a minimum one-year ban if the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) succeeds in its appeal against the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) decision in his doping case.

A WADA official emphasized that failing to punish an athlete who tested positive for a banned substance would make it too easy for cheaters to avoid serious consequences.

In March 2024, when Sinner was ranked No. 2 in the world, he tested positive twice for the anabolic steroid clostebol and was provisionally suspended by the ITIA.

However, he successfully appealed both suspensions and continued competing. In August, the ITIA fully cleared him, ruling that he bore “no fault or negligence” for the failed tests.

The tennis anti-doping agency accepted Sinner’s explanation that the substance entered his system unintentionally when a team member applied a cream containing clostebol.

As a result, he was only stripped of his prize money and ranking points from the Indian Wells Open, and it initially appeared the case was closed.

However, WADA challenged the ITIA’s ruling in September, arguing that Sinner should still face sanctions. The case is now scheduled for a hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on April 16-17 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

While there were speculations that Sinner might lose additional ranking points or prize money, WADA spokesperson James Fitzgerald confirmed they are solely pursuing a suspension, which could range from 12 to 24 months.

Despite the controversy, Sinner has been dominant in the past year, winning two Grand Slam titles—the US Open in September and the Australian Open in January—along with the ATP Finals and three ATP Masters 1000 trophies.

“As we stated in September, WADA believes that the conclusion of ‘no fault or negligence’ was not correct according to the current rules, and is asking for a suspension period of between one and two years,” Fitzgerald told La Sampa.

“WADA is not asking for the cancellation of any results other than those already imposed in the first instance. As the matter is now pending before the CAS, WADA will not comment further.”

The WADA official added: “The principle of strict liability is of fundamental importance to upholding fairness in sport. Without it there would be no anti-doping and the dopers would win.

“If an athlete who tests positive for a prohibited substance does not have to explain where it came from, or how it entered his system, it would be all too easy for the cheater to escape significant sanctions.”