
Emma Raducanu speaks out after her stalker was caught trying to buy Wimbledon tickets - months after being given restraining order in Dubai
Emma Raducanu has thanked Wimbledon for doing 'an amazing job' in ensuring her stalker could not acquire tickets for the Championships.
The man, whose pursuit of Raducanu across four countries came to a head in Dubai in February, was on a waiting list for Wimbledon tickets until his name was removed by the All England Club.
'Wimbledon and everyone did an amazing job. I got a notification, the police contacted me and told me everything was OK,' Raducanu told BBC Sport.
'I know that I am not the first athlete to go through this, and I probably won't be the last — not just as an athlete, but females in general.
'I have a lot more protection around me — especially the ones here in the UK, where it's busy and there's more spectators around.
'I feel a difference, and that reassures me and makes me feel more comfortable.'
With Wimbledon less than a week away, Raducanu is still contending with pain from a back spasm she suffered in Strasbourg in May.
'It's OK, I'm still managing it, to be honest,' said the British No 1 in Eastbourne, where she will play her first-round match against American Ann Li on Tuesday.
'I have good days and bad days with it. I trained a fair bit last week in London and it was good. I was getting a lot of treatment and then woke up pretty stiff at the weekend, took a day off and then trained yesterday and today.
'But it needs a lot of work and it is up and down. I'm just trying to manage it as best as I can.'
Raducanu overcame a fear of needles to have acupuncture treatment at the French Open. She is trying that and anything else she and her team can think of to quieten the pain in time for Wimbledon.
'Doing everything: needles, soft tissue, some muscle stimulation stuff, taping, everything,' she said. 'It's just ongoing but it seems to be OK today.'
In a year when her fitness record has generally been excellent, this nagging back issue has now reared its head before each of the three Grand Slams.
Raducanu seemed in good spirits by the seaside, however, especially when discussing her new doubles partner. The US Open last week announced the pairings for their revamped, $1million mixed doubles event in August and among the more eye-catching alliances was Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz.
'He messaged me and asked me to play, I was very surprised — and excited,' said Raducanu, speaking for the first time since the pairing was announced.
'I've known him so long. He's so nice, very happy, amazing values and just a really positive light to be around.
'Wimbledon 2021 was the first time I started getting to know him,' said Raducanu. 'He was always playing the day before me, I would see him win and then I would have motivation to win and get myself into that position too. It was really cool to go through that tournament together and then we stayed in touch the whole US Open. He's obviously overtaken me a lot, but it's nice that we have that from a while ago.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
'F1' film puts viewers in the driver's seat for a tale of second chances
LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Brad Pitt is itching to return to the racing tracks after making "F1", a movie that takes audiences into the action of real Formula One races and mixes in romance and humour. Directed and co-written by "Top Gun: Maverick" filmmaker Joseph Kosinski, "F1" was partly filmed during Formula One Grand Prix weekends, with scenes shot on the circuits during breaks and real drivers also appearing on screen. Pitt plays an unruly racer-for-hire, who returns to Formula One to help his friend's struggling team and mentor its rookie driver, played by Damson Idris. Pitt and Idris did their own driving in the movie, combining top speeds with acting. The aim for authenticity made the project physically testing for the two. "It's real. You got to put in the neck exercises. And we're not even pulling the G's that the real guys are doing," Pitt said at the film's European premiere in London on Monday. "I was in the gym a lot. It was cold plunges afterwards just for recovery," Pitt, 61, said. "It's insane," said Idris in an interview. "You're driving up to 180 miles per hour sometimes. I have to say the lines at this specific place and I have to emote in a way that's going to translate through the eyes at those speeds. When you watch the film, you feel you're driving as a viewer, and that was our intention." Getting the balance right for viewers with varying levels of familiarity with the sport was also key, said Kosinski. "If you're a diehard Formula One fan, you're going to find some Easter eggs, you're going to recognise some historical stuff that I think will be interesting. But we also designed the movie so that if you know nothing about Formula One, if you have no interest in motor sports whatsoever, this is just a great story about second chances, teamwork and friendship," he said. Monday's premiere came just days after Pitt got to drive a Formula One car for real after testing a McLaren at Austin's Circuit of the Americas. The cars used in the film were Formula Two cars, modified to look like real grand prix racers. "Ask me how fast I went. Three mph short of 200 mph," Pitt said of the experience. "I want to go back. I want to hit 200." "F1" begins its global cinematic rollout on June 25.


Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Jimmy Bullard admits he 'couldn't find anything' as Premier League cult hero falls short in his bid to qualify for The Open
Former Premier League cult hero Jimmy Bullard has admitted he 'couldn't find anything' on the course as his bid to qualify for the Open Championship came to an end. Bullard was among 2,000 players competing around 15 venues across the UK and Ireland on Monday in regional qualifying events. The events offered between seven and 10 qualification spots for final qualifying event on July 1. Bullard competed at the regional qualifying event at Rochester and Cobham Park, with the former Fulham, Wigan, and Hull City player carding a three over par round of 74. The 46-year-old, who is a scratch golfer, finished four strokes away from a qualifying position at the event. 'Deffo not my day today but loved every minute of it,' Bullard wrote on Instagram. 'Tried to dig deep but couldn't find anything. 'A big thanks to @rcpgc @therandagolf @theopen and all of yous that come out to support, at one point I counted close to 100 of yas.' Bullard previously competed in five of the now defunct EuroPro tour events between 2014 and 2016 and was hoping to qualify for the open. Announcing his attempt to qualify in a video on his channel, Bullard said: 'Done my back [last year], played too much golf so I've got to manage that. 'But I think that's just a one off to be honest. I don't really get injured do I? Quest for The Open, yes. But a quest to make me a better golfer. 'I feel like the game of golf, I've got to the ceiling of what I know. All my scores are like level par, one-under, I've reached my ceiling. 'How do I get to the next level shooting four, five, six under? Is it available to me with my ability? I don't know. But I feel I've come to the end where I need a coach. I've exhausted all the stuff I know.' Bullard had been left on the verge of tears after he was forced to pull out of qualifiers last year because of a back injury. The former midfielder was not the only ex-Premier League player bidding to qualify for the major. Peter Odemwingie, the former West Brom, Cardiff and Stoke forward, also missed out at his regional qualifier at Enville. Odemwingie, who qualified as a PGA professional golfer since retiring from football, carded a 10-over par round of 82. Golf's oldest tournament, The Open, will take place at Royal Portrush from July 17 to 20.


Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
Emma Raducanu issues response after stalker's attempt to buy Wimbledon tickets
Emma Raducanu has issued a response after her stalker was caught trying to buy Wimbledon tickets four months after his restraining order. The British star, 22, was approached by a fixated man at the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year – including when she was alone in a public café – where she was handed a personal letter and photographed. Raducanu then spotted the same individual in the crowd during her match against Karolina Muchova, which resulted in Raducanu breaking down in tears and hiding behind the umpire's chair before he was kicked out. The stalker was handed a restraining order and Raducanu then decided to travel with a larger security team due to concerns over her safety. It was thought the incident was over until the stalker was recently caught trying to buy tickets for Wimbledon, which gets underway on June 30. The All England Club's security measures spotted the man had been red-flagged and blocked his attempt to enter the Wimbledon public ballot. 'Wimbledon and everyone did an amazing job,' Raducanu told the BBC on Monday. 'I got a notification, the police contacted me and told me everything was OK. 'I know that I am not the first athlete to go through this, and I probably won't be the last – not just as an athlete, but females in general.' Raducanu says she feels 'more comfortable' at tournaments since beefing up her security team. 'I've had great protection whenever I have been at these events recently,' she added. 'I have a lot more protection around me – especially the ones here in the UK, where it's busy and there's more spectators around. 'I feel a difference, and that reassures me and makes me feel more comfortable.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Speaking in March, Raducanu opened up about the horror of being targeted by the stalker, sharing terrifying details about the incident. More Trending 'I was obviously very distraught,' Raducanu said about the moment she saw the man in the crowd in Dubai. 'I saw him in the first game of the match and I was like, I don't know how I'm going to finish. I literally couldn't see the ball through tears. I could barely breathe. 'It was a very emotional time. After the match I did break down in tears. 'There were two instances [before I saw him in the crowd] and it was the second one that I just got freaked out by because the first one was more like a normal fan approaching you. 'He watched me in the coffee shop for a while. The second incident was really worrying.' MORE: How to watch Wimbledon 2025 qualifying on TV and live stream in the UK MORE: Wimbledon 2025: Full schedule, start date, how to watch, prize money and draw details MORE: Marcus Rashford next club odds: Serie A could beckon as Barcelona cool interest in Manchester United outcast