Emma Raducanu: I'm ‘wary' when going out after stalker ordeal in Dubai
British number two Emma Raducanu admitted she was 'wary' when going out following her ordeal with a stalker at the Dubai Championships earlier this year.
The 22-year-old hid behind the umpire's chair in tears after receiving repeated unwanted attention from a 'fixated' man before and during a second-round match against Karolina Muchova in February.
At the time, Raducanu said she 'couldn't see the ball through tears' and could 'barely breathe', while she revealed now that the situation was exacerbated by her being unsettled without a full-time coach.
Emma Raducanu hoped to move on from her stalking ordeal (John Walton/PA)
While Raducanu still minds her surroundings, the 2021 US Open champion wants to move on as she approaches the grass-court season with coaches Mark Petchey and Nick Cavaday in tow.
'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.
Emma Raducanu (right) has Nick Cavaday back on board as a coach for the grass-court season (John Walton/PA)
'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, who suffered a second-round exit to Iga Swiatek at the French Open, is managing a back issue in the build-up to Wimbledon, having been hindered by persistent spasm issues for much of 2025.
She will feature in the inaugural women's Queen's Club Championships this week, where she will take on Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa in the first round.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
14 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Rory McIlroy has options but driver remains central to US Open bid at Oakmont
'I drove it really straight,' Johnson said of his three-shot win over Shane Lowry and Jim Furyk nine years ago. 'I hit a lot of fairways. That was the only reason I shot that well.' Johnson won on four-under-par, which he joked should really have been five-under had he not incurred a one-shot penalty when his ball almost moved imperceptibly as he addressed it on the fifth green in the final round. 'I don't know, it seems like it's tougher this time around, but that's just maybe with the little bit of added length,' Johnson said. 'It's going to make it a little more difficult. 'But yeah, somehow I figured out a way to get it under par. It was mostly the driving. Obviously, even driving it in the fairway here, it's still really difficult, but I hit a lot of good drives and a lot of good iron shots.' Johnson ranked 'only' 18th for fairways hit in 2016, but while he was first for greens in regulation, the perception at a rain-softened Oakmont is that getting the ball in play from the tee will be as crucial here as it is in any other US Open. Even if the course dries out and big hitters have the option to hit more irons or fairway woods, players like Justin Thomas see no reason why a big hitter like McIlroy would not want to take advantage of his greatest weapon. 'You look at someone like Rory McIlroy, you drive it like he does, I would pull that driver out as often as I can,' Thomas said of the Masters champion, who admitted that finding a replacement for the driver ruled nonconforming at the PGA was 'a concern' after he struggled from the tee and missed the cut by 12 strokes in last week's Canadian Open. 'He hits it further and straighter than maybe anybody that's played the game. It's hard to argue why he wouldn't hit driver as often as he could. It truly is dependent on the player and their strategy.' Oakmont was rain-softened in 2016, too, but for Johnson, it remains a beast. 'Probably this one,' he said when asked the toughest course he's ever played. 'This one's hard no matter what - soft, firm, windy, no wind… You definitely have to hit it in the fairway if you want a chance to win around here." ADVERTISEMENT While Shane Lowry played the front nine in practice yesterday, it was a painful three-and-a-half-hour process. 'Not to come off the wrong way, these are some of the worst practice rounds of the year at a US Open,' Thomas said. 'You tee off in the middle of the day today or tomorrow, and it's going to be probably a three-, three-and-a-half-hour nine holes.' Given the penalty for missing the fairway or the green, it's mentally exhausting as well. 'I just think it requires patience and discipline,' Thomas explained. "If you just get lazy, like on any drive, any wedge shot, any chip, any putt, you can kind of look stupid pretty fast, especially at a place like this.' It's possible to shoot a great score missing fairways, but while Thomas did that in 2016, he wouldn't recommend it as a strategy, 'One of the best rounds of golf I've probably ever played in my career in 2016 here on Friday, I think I hit four fairways, but I remember I hit seven greens and I shot 69,' he said with a grin. 'I chipped in three times. I was beyond exhausted when I got done. 'I actually played with Brooks (Koepka) the first two days. I remember he was so pissed off. He just couldn't get over it.' Hack-out rough is not everyone's idea of great golf, but Xander Schauffele believes it's why fans tune in to the US Open. 'I don't think people turn the TV on to watch some of the guys just hit like a 200-yard shot on the green, you know what I mean?' Schauffele said. 'I think they turn on the US Open to see a guy shooting eight-over and suffer. That's part of the enjoyment of playing in the US Open for viewers… If you're a true fan of golf, it's more about what happens after the hack-out.' The lengthening of the course means there are fewer opportunities to hit irons compared to 2016, when long-hitting Schauffele recalls seeing players 'hitting maybe three or maybe four irons' off tees. 'I feel like they've lengthened those holes to where they're not,' he said yesterday. 'I felt like you're only hitting maybe one iron off the tee this week or maybe two. 'Anything close to par is what they want here. The members absolutely love their property, and the members absolutely want it to be over par. I know what they're rooting for.'
Irish Daily Mirror
19 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Roy Keane record set straight by Paul Scholes as he calls out problem he 'hates'
Despite forming a reputation as one of the Premier League's all-time enforcers, Roy Keane was that and a whole lot more. That's according to former Manchester United team-mate Paul Scholes, who has revealed the one Keane stereotype that really boils his blood. Keane, 53, arrived at Old Trafford in 1993 for what was then a British transfer record fee of £3.75million. The Cork man had already built up a renown for his tough-tackling methods at Nottingham Forest, leading some to believe he fitted the mould of a traditional defensive midfielder. But Scholes, who was part of the same United squad that won a historic treble in 1999, has jumped to his old comrade's defence. And the English legend has suggested nothing could be further from the truth, insisting that misconception has sprung from the more modern habit of wanting to pigeonhole players with certain labels. "People talk about this 'No. 6 role', don't they? The [Claude] Makelele role," he said on The Overlap Fan Debate. "And I think a lot of people see Roy as that a little bit. He was anything but that. "As a central midfielder for Manchester United, you couldn't just stay there [sitting deep] and let everybody else play. You had to be involved in everything. You had to be able to defend. You had to be able to attack. He [Keane] was unbelievable. A running machine, but with quality with it. "He'd do everything. He'd overlap his winger both sides. He'd sprint forward, he sprinted back, he led the team, almost in a Bryan Robson type of way. That's why I hate all this, 'He's a No. 8. He's a No. 6.' [It] gets on my nerves. Especially as a central midfield player, you should be able to do everything." It's easy to forget Mayfield-born Keane first earned Sir Alex Ferguson's attention as a much more attack-minded talent. The Republic of Ireland great scored 33 goals in 154 appearances for Forest, including a career-high 14 finishes during the 1991/92 campaign. He was perhaps shoehorned into a more defensive role while playing for the national team, more out of necessity than anything else. The long-time Republic of Ireland captain was widely viewed as the gem of the squad but had to take on more protective responsibilities than were required at United. Scholes, 50, went on to use Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo as a template for comparison against his former skipper. Caicedo played every league fixture for the Blues this season, but Scholes questioned whether his all-round impact made enough of a difference. "Was there much quality? Did he create a lot? Did he control loads of games for Chelsea? I don't remember that," he continued. "I think there's an era now, with midfield players especially, where you can go through seasons and games without really contributing a what Roy Keane did [contributed in all areas]. And he'd do it in this [current United] team as well." There's no telling what incumbent United boss Ruben Amorim might do for a player of Keane's profile today. The current United squad is crying out for leadership in all areas, not to mention top-tier footballers willing to give their utmost for the club. The Red Devils are in yet another transitional period as Amorim gets to work moulding his squad in his first summer transfer window with United. And the midfield is a particular area of focus, with current captain Bruno Fernandes among those being linked with the exit. A record low Premier League finish of 15th has left the club without European football next season and a general gloom around Old Trafford. And many fans are reminded of Keane's contributions across his 12-year stay at United as they yearn for another talent of that calibre.
The Irish Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry at the heart of US Open surprise as organisers reveal twist ahead of major
RORY McIlroy and Shane Lowry have been paired TOGETHER for this week's US Open at Oakmont in Pennsylvania. It's a surprise move by organisers given how big names are generally kept apart for the opening two rounds. Advertisement 4 Rory McIlroy's form has fallen off a cliff since winning the Masters in April Credit: Getty 4 But Shane Lowry's game looks to be in optimum condition Credit: AP 4 Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele is another notable pairing Credit: Getty 4 While Scottie Scheffler will play alongside Collin Morikawa, and Viktor Hovland Credit: AP But in this case, all Irish eyes will be on one particular playing group across Thursday and Friday's action. Their group hasn't exactly been rounded out by a nobody either as Justin Rose completes the high-profile trio with Lowry and McIlroy will tee off in the year's third major at 12.40pm Irish time. Their second round will commence at 6.25pm Irish time. Advertisement Read More On Irish Sport The Offaly native comes into For that result, he Lowry had catapulted himself into contention on Thursday with a scintillating opening-round score of six-under-par. He backed that up on Friday with a two-under round of 68. Advertisement Most read in Golf But with pal McIlroy having packed his bags at the halfway stage, the leaders struck clear on Saturday, while Lowry could only shoot another 68. He got off to a cracking start in Toronto on Sunday. The Clara man shot an eagle on the first before backing it up with three birdies on the spin. US Open release incredible video of army of lawnmowers to tackle rough as stars brand conditions 'unplayable' But a bogey on the ninth after four consecutive pars halted his momentum. And while he steadied the ship by parring the next five, he was running out of time and holes to remain in contention. Advertisement A birdie on the 15th kept him in the hunt but bogeys on the 16th and 17th killed his hopes off. The Ireland Olympian moves on to Oakmont next, where he finished runner-up to Dustin Johnson in the 2016 US Open. After wrapping up his Sunday round the 38-year-old posted an upbeat summation on Instagram. It read: "Great tournament, great people, disappointing finish. Thank you Canada, Canadian Open and sponsors RBC. On to the US Open." Advertisement This will be a record-extending 10th time that the US Open will be held at Oakmont. The rough on Oakmont stands at 5 INCHES tall, with the course trimmed to ensure that is uniform throughout all 18 holes. World number one
