British tennis player Emma Raducanu has thanked her fans after disturbing scenes on court led to a “fixated” man being removed from one of her matches.

Raducanu has described the “difficult experience” on Tuesday, in which she approached the chair umpire early in her match against 14th-seeded Karolina Muchova at a WTA even in Dubai.

The 22-year-old 2021 US Open champion was in tears, and even hid behind the tournament umpire’s chair at one point.

The match was halted as the umpire contacted tournament organisers. The WTA later linked Raducanu’s reaction to the presence of an unidentified man, who had been seated at one end of the court.

He was escorted from the stadium by security.

“Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour,” the WTA said.

“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.”

British media reports, the man approached Raducanu in her hotel a day earlier, handing her a letter.

Emma Raducanu’s statement. Source: Instagram

“Thank you for the messages of support. Difficult experience yesterday but I’ll be OK and proud of how I came back and competed despite what happened at the start of the match,” Raducanu wrote on Wednesday (Australian time).

“Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.”

After the alarming incident, Raducanu rallied from an early break to force a first-set tiebreaker. She narrowly lost it before losing the match 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.

It is not the first time the British star has had a problem with an obsessed fan.

In 2022, a man who stalked her in England was handed a five-year restraining order. Amrit Magar had walked nearly 40 kilometres to Raducanu’s home and taken her father’s shoe as a souvenir.

“Since all this has happened, I have felt creeped out,” Raducanu said at the time. “I feel very apprehensive if I go out, especially if I am on my own.

“Because of this I feel like my freedom has been taken away from me. I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I feel on edge and worried this could happen again.”

-with AAP