Concerned tennis fans have compared the incident that saw Emma Raducanu reduced to tears at the Dubai Open to Monica Seles being stabbed on court in her match against Steffi Graff 31 years ago.
During her second-round tie against Karolina Muchova, Raducanu, 22, was reduced to cowering behind the umpire's chair at the Dubai Open after she spotted a man who had previously 'exhibited fixated behaviour' towards her sitting in the stands.
The former British No1 became agitated in the first set of her match-up on Tuesday night and at 2-0 down against Muchova, was seen crying and wiping her face with a towel during the break in play.
In distressing scenes, Raducanu spoke with the umpire and then appeared to hide behind the umpire's chair, later being comforted by her opponent.
Reacting to the incident on social media, tennis fans drew similarities between the case in Dubai and Monica Seles' stabbing on court on April 30 1993.
Seles, who was the top-ranked women's player in the world at the time, was stabbed by Guenter Parche, an unemployed German who had an obsession with Graf.
Mr Parche walked onto the court at Hamburg's Citizen Cup, where Seles was playing Magdalena Maleeva, carrying a boning knife.
Parche plunged the knife between Seles' shoulder blades, later telling police he wanted to 'hurt Seles so much that she couldn't play tennis for a long time.'
While Seles being rushed to hospital enabled her to recover from her injuries, she did not return to competitive tennis for more than two years following the attack.
Now, fans have pointed out that the environment in which female tennis players compete puts their safety and well-being at risk.
One worried user on X commented: 'Raducanu came close to being the new Monica Seles'.
Another concerned post read: 'Nothing has been learnt from what happened to Monica Seles 30 years ago!'
A third pointed to the lack of security at the Dubai Open, askiing: 'How are the players supposed to feel safe?
'Hope at least after this, they take the security seriously, especially in WTA events. If you think this is not a big deal, remember Monica Seles'.
A fourth stated: 'In a sport where we’ve had an incident like monica seles’ player safety should be the UTMOST priority'.
A WTA statement read: 'On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behavior,' the statement read, confirming the man's presence during Raducanu's first-round victory over Maria Sakkari.
'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.
'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.'
