Emma Raducanu suffered an unexpected exit from the 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday, February 16. She faced the World No. 67 Antonia Ružić in the first round match of the tournament, but ended up losing after another health scare.
During the match, she needed medical attention on the court and could not turn the match in her favor. This follows a pattern of concerning results regarding her health and fitness, with another exit from a big tournament.
Emma Raducanu Suffers Another Early Exit Due to Health Issues
Croatian Ružić defeated British No. 1 Raducanu in the round of 64 match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday, February 16. The World No. 67 opened strongly against the Briton, stunning her with a 6-1 score in the first set. Raducanu fought back in the second set, winning it 7-5, and forced a deciding set, in which her performance dipped again. Ružić again dominated the final set, taking a comfortable win in two hours and 20 minutes with a final scoreline of 6-1, 5-7, 6-2.
However, what’s more concerning than another early exit for Raducanu is what happened between the first and the second set. After struggling significantly in the first set, she called for the trainer and took a tablet during her medical assessment before the second set commenced. This led to a revival in her form, where she dominated the set, but after some time, she again struggled significantly.
Emma Raducanu sofre mais um susto de saúde após solicitar atendimento médico no Aberto de Dubai nesta segunda-feira. #DDFTennis 🇦🇪 | #BackToBrits 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/S2O2sTAyew
— Emma Raducanu 🇧🇷 (@raducanubrasil) February 16, 2026
According to reports, Raducanu has been struggling with health concerns since her semifinal match against Oleksandra Oliynykova in Romania. She hasn’t been feeling well since that match, which ultimately hindered her performance in the finals against Sorana Cîrstea, stopping her from claiming her second WTA title.
Despite these issues, Raducanu still participated in the Qatar Open, where she faced Camila Osorio in the first round exactly one week ago. After winning the first set 6-2, she lost the second 4-6 and was trailing 0-2 when she had to withdraw from the match due to low blood pressure caused by illness.
Raducanu’s Dubai Troubles Continue After 2025 Stalker Incident
Last year, Raducanu entered the WTA 1000 Dubai event on Sunday, February 16, 2025, where she faced Maria Sakkari in the first round. She defeated the Greek 6-4, 6-2, marking her third consecutive straight-set win against her, and advanced to the round of 32 against the 14th seed KarolÃna Muchová. However, what happened during that match was very unfortunate, marking a dark day in tennis history.
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Before the match, a fan greeted Raducanu with a note and took a picture with her. The Briton spotted him in one of the front rows of the stadium during her match against Muchová, leading to an emotional breakdown on the court. She went to the chair umpire to inform them about the person while crying, later revealing that she struggled to “see the ball through tears” and could “barely breathe.” The man was immediately removed from the arena and banned from all future WTA tournaments.
In her match against Ružić, Raducanu struggled with her serves, landing only 58% of her first serves. She won 67% of her first-serve points, whereas just 31% of her second-serve points. Looking at her recent form, Raducanu would be looking forward to recovering physically and returning to the tour at 100%.
