Emma Raducanu has reactivated her Instagram account just 48 hours after deactivating it. The British tennis star took the drastic step following a distressing stalking incident while competing in Dubai.
During her Dubai Open second-round match against Karolina Muchova, Raducanu was visibly shaken when she spotted a known stalker in the crowd. Just two points into the match, she alerted security, who promptly removed and arrested the individual. Despite the unsettling incident, Raducanu continued the match but ultimately lost 6-7, 4-6.
The 22-year-old later competed at the Indian Wells Masters in California but was defeated in the first round by Moyuka Uchijima, 3-6, 2-6. Following a challenging period both on and off the court, Raducanu appeared to take a break from social media, deactivating her Instagram account—where she has 2.6 million followers—on Thursday.
Now back on the platform, she has yet to post but has updated her bio, changing it from the Latin phrase “Ad astra per aspera” (“to the stars through hardships”) to simply “Emma.”
Reflecting on her frightening experience, Raducanu previously shared: “There were two instances, and the second one really freaked me out. The first was more like a normal fan encounter, except he told me he had followed me everywhere. Then he watched me in a coffee shop for a while… but the second incident was truly worrying.”
Her former coach, Roman Kelecic, who was present in Dubai, confirmed that security had been aware of the stalker. Speaking to i, he explained: “Three or four hours before the match, we had a photo of him. The entire tournament security team knew who he was.
“Then, during the first game, after just two points, Emma spotted him. She ran over to us crying and shouting: ‘Here he is, here he is, here he is.'”
