Emma Raducanu still 'wary of leaving house' after terrifying stalker ordeal

Daily Mirror

6 hours ago

British tennis star Emma Raducanu has offered an update following her stalker ordeal earlier this year and forming a new coaching team ahead of Wimbledon to help her settle
Emma Raducanu admits she is still wary when she goes out after being left in tears and hiding behind the umpire's chair when she was targeted by a stalker during a match in Dubai earlier this year. The British number two received unwanted attention from a 'fixated' man in February that left her unable to see the ball 'through tears'.
The ordeal emerged after the figure was reported to have already handed Raducanu a letter and taken photographs. The young tennis star had also previously been forced to deal with a man visiting her house three times in the aftermath of her US Open win, aged just 18.
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Raducanu has revealed that the situation in February was exacerbated as she worked without a full-time coach and felt unsettled in her surroundings. The 2021 US Open champion remains cautious when she goes out - but now, Raducanu is beginning to feel more settled and is hoping to avoid negativity.
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'It was difficult,' she told BBC Sport. 'It was emphasised by the fact I didn't necessarily feel certain or comfortable in my own set-up and team so it just added to the anxious feeling.
'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.
'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 negative, I kind of brush it off as much as I can.'
Raducanu is looking to get back to the top with a new coaching team. She enters the grass-court season with Mark Petchey, who formerly coached Andy Murray, and Nick Cavaday in her corner. Cavaday helped Raducanu reach the top 60 once again after she missed much of 2023 but had stepped back earlier this year due to illness.
The coach was Raducanu's sixth full-time partner following link-ups with Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs. Her new team will see Raducanu feature in the inaugural women's Queen's Club Championships this week, taking on Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa in the first round.
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Raducanu will look to bounce back from her second-round French Open exit to Iga Swiatek. The British star is currently managing a back issue in the build-up to Wimbledon but is optimistic about her form.
"[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."