'Wary' Emma Raducanu opens up on coping with her stalker ordeal as she returns to play in the UK for the first time since being left in tears in Dubai

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Emma Raducanu has opened up on the stalking ordeal she suffered earlier this year while playing in Dubai, which have left her more 'wary' when leaving the house.
The 2021 US Open champion pulled off one of the great underdog stories in the history of all sports when she won her maiden Grand Slam title as a qualifier in New York as a teenager.
As such, her profile in the global media sky-rocketed from relative unknown to the must-have brand ambassador.
However, though this naturally brought her new opportunities, it unfortunately brought with it more ominous side-effects, which came to the fore in Dubai.
Two games into her clash with Karolina Muchova she had to hide behind the umpire's chair and was in tears while a man - who 'exhibited fixated behaviour' - was removed from the arena and later handed a restraining order.
Raducanu made her return to action at Indian Wells back in March, but has now spoken about how things have changed for her since the events of Dubai, as she prepares for her first home outing at Queen's.
'I've definitely noticed a difference in how people are watching my back when I'm on the site [at tournaments],' she told BBC Sport.
'I'm obviously wary when I go out. I try not to be careless about it because you only realise how much of a problem it is when you're in that situation and I don't necessarily want to be in that situation again.
'But off the court right now, I feel good. I feel pretty settled. I feel like I have good people around me and anything that was kind of negative I'm just like trying to brush it off as much as I can.'
Raducanu comes into the grass court season with an ongoing back issue that she will be hoping does not curtail her preparations for Wimbledon.
The British No 2 will also be pairing up with compatriot Katie Boulter in the doubles, an event she hasn't got the most experience in.
Yet the instability with her coaching team remains, and she will reunite with childhood mentor Nick Cavaday, who had stepped away after the Australian Open for health reasons.
She has had a number of coaches, including Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs, and worked alongside Vladimir Patenik for just a fortnight earlier in 2025.
Cavaday had been crucial to her return to the top 60 following a 2023 filled with injury recovery, and will partner Mark Petchey, who used to coach two-time Wimbledon champion and former World No 1 Andy Murray.
Raducanu is newly working with Andy Murray's former coach Mark Petchey - although the relationship is being taken one step at a time
'[In] the last couple months I found some better form but I've also learnt about myself that I can't necessarily do it with people that I don't trust, or I don't necessarily like so, truthfully, for me that's what's improved as well in the last couple months,' she said.
'I have a pretty good gut feeling and intuition about people who I get on with, and who I trust.
'And I think sometimes I try and reason with myself because logically I'm like, "OK, well, maybe this person can bring me this and I need it", and I try and force myself through it, but I've just realised, it doesn't work.
'And when there's a bad energy or bad environment, it just lingers.'
On Cavaday, she added: 'I'm happy to see him healthy first of all, it has been a long time since we were last on court together in Australia,' Raducanu told a news conference when speaking about Cavaday.
'Mark is in Paris commentating [on the French Open], Nick was around and it was nice to have a few days with him. They'll both be helping me throughout the grass [season]. I trust them both a lot.'