Emma Raducanu's terrifying stalking ordeals from sick gift to tears on court
British tennis star Emma Raducanu has endured a string of terrifying stalking incidents during her career, and it's left her feeling weary of leaving her home.
At just 22 years old, Raducanu has already reached a world number 10 ranking and is the current women's British number one. She was the 2021 US Open champion and became the first British woman to win a singles match during the tournament since 1977.
She returned to Wimbledon this year after missing the 2024 competiton because of the birth of her son, but her journey was cut short after being knocked out of the third round last Friday by the current world number one for ladies' singles, Aryna Sabalenka.
While it was a dissapointing finish, Raducanu has sadly experienced much worse on the court as the disturbing behaviour of one 'fixated' spectator once reduced her to tears.
During a match at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February this year, Raducanu was visibly distressed during her second-round against Karolina Muchova. So much so that she was left seeking refuge in tears behind the umpire's chair after spotting a man in the audience who had reportedly approached her earlier in the tournament.
Following the incident, the WTA issued a statement detailing the distressing incident: "On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour. This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma's match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and subsequently ejected.
"He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment. Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events."
Dubai authorities issued a restraining order against the stalker, whose information is now circulated among international tennis tournaments.
The Dubai incident was the fourth consecutive event after Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, during which the individual had been present during Raducanu's matches. The day before the incident in Dubai, he even confronted her in a café.
Raducanu bravely spoke out about her ordeal earlier this year. "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."
Ahead of this year's Wimbledon, the All England Club spotted the man from the Dubai incident through their public ballot system and promptly cancelled his ticket application. While the Wimbledon draw closed doors last year, refunds could have still lead to ticket redistribution right until The Championships started on June 30, the Express reports.
Terrifyingly, it's not the first time Raducanu has been stalked. Amrit Magar, who was not the individual in Dubai, was convicted of stalking Raducanu between November 1 and December 4, 2021. At the time, Raducanu was just 18-years-old.
The court heard that Magar, originally from Harrow, north-east London, went to Raducanu's home on three separate occasions, loitering around the premises, leaving unwanted cards and gifts including a note that said the tennis player 'deserved love' along with a map illustrating the 23 miles he had walked from his home in Edgeware.
He also decorated a tree in her garden with Christmas lights and stole the trainer from her porch believing it belonged to her rather than her father.
Raducanu's father, Ian, first became aware of Magar's actions after being alerted by a doorbbell camera, discovering his trainer had been taken from the porch.
In February 2022, the judge handed Magar a five-year restraining order and sentenced the 35-year-old to an 18-month community order. The sentence included 200 hours of unpaid work and an eight-week curfew between 9pm and 6am monitored by an electronic tag.
When asked about the incident, Raducanu previously said: "Since all this has happened, I have felt very creeped out. I feel very apprehensive if I go out, especially if I am on my own.
"I feel like my freedom has been taken away from me. I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I feel on edge and worried this could happen again. I don't feel safe in my own home, which is where I should feel safest."
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