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Emma Raducanu: I'm ‘wary' when going out after stalker ordeal in Dubai

Emma Raducanu: I'm ‘wary' when going out after stalker ordeal in Dubai

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.
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.
'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.

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USGA chief insists the 'juice is not worth the squeeze' of changing equipment testing despite Rory McIlroy driver debacle
USGA chief insists the 'juice is not worth the squeeze' of changing equipment testing despite Rory McIlroy driver debacle

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

USGA chief insists the 'juice is not worth the squeeze' of changing equipment testing despite Rory McIlroy driver debacle

The Rory McIlroy driver debacle will not lead to a change in equipment testing, according to the United States Golf Association. The USGA, which carries out the pre-tournament checks, had faced calls from Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele to overhaul their procedures last month. Scheffler and McIlroy were both forced to change a non-conforming driver in the build up to the championship, after each was found to have become too springy, and the world No 1 went on to argue against the current method of randomly selecting only a third of each field for testing. Scheffler's view was that the entire field should have their equipment checked if the measure was to be considered fair. However, USGA chief Mike Whan, whose organisation is running this week's US Open, has dismissed that possibility, saying that the nature of any advantage and the prevalence of failures were both too small to justify. 'With what we're seeing today, it would be a greater interruption,' Whan said. 'The juice wouldn't be worth the squeeze.' He added: 'If I'm being honest with you, I think in terms of what happened at the PGA Championship, it made us more committed to not wanting to have this be the topic of the town because I think when you talked about a rules violation or somebody who's playing with a hot driver, that gets so much more sensational than the reality. 'I can tell you as a rules body, if we had concern about this incredible advantage, we would change the degree in which we test. 'But we think the testing that we're doing now is commensurate with the size of both the issue and the size of the reality of the issue. 'I know we tested this week. I couldn't tell you if we had failures, and if so, what those failures were at the time. 'I know that if we saw a trend that was alarming in terms of either how many or how far they were moving beyond (the permissible limit), we would change the way we approach it.'

Scottie Scheffler is golf's most dominant force since Tiger Woods but he's no shoo-in at the year's most sadistic major, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI
Scottie Scheffler is golf's most dominant force since Tiger Woods but he's no shoo-in at the year's most sadistic major, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Scottie Scheffler is golf's most dominant force since Tiger Woods but he's no shoo-in at the year's most sadistic major, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI

On the basis of range talk and betting odds, it will presumably be a source of some relief to 155 of the 156 men at the US Open that a tournament has even been deemed necessary here in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. If conventional wisdom was all that mattered, then plenty of time and money would be saved by signing over the trophy to Scottie Scheffler at the outset. But thankfully golf is a fickle game and Oakmont Country Club is quite capable of burying form guides beneath five inches of dense rough. And therein lies one of the fascinating subplots of this 125th edition of golf's most sadistic major. By that, we mean Scheffler's ability to withstand the really nasty stuff between Thursday morning and Sunday evening. Across the past three years or so, there has been a rapid dwindling in the areas where we can legitimately scrutinise his talent and progress. His three major titles, Olympic gold medal and 16 other wins on the PGA Tour have made Scheffler the most dominant force since Tiger Woods in consideration of the speed and performance metrics with which they were acquired. Amid such brilliance, there are precious few loose ends but this is one: can he do it when the setting is truly fiendish and as far removed from the usual target golf as we will ever see? It is among the last questions at the bottom of a barrel he has emptied with his remarkable acquisition of trophies, including three in his past four starts. By that reasoning, the coming five weeks are intriguing. That applies most glaringly to The Open next month and the quirks of links golf, where he is yet to master an idiosyncratic format of the game. But it also applies here, purely for the fact he has not yet won a US Open and because this particular course is so viciously extreme. Similar to The Open, this major tests resilience to breaking point and its champions are celebrated accordingly. None of which is to say Scheffler is a glorified flat-track bully - that nonsense would be dismissed instantly by his four wins across Bay Hill and Augusta. But Oakmont, while less revered, approaches mythical status for its savagery and the wind has started to build. Taming such a place would be a huge feather in the cap. At halfway to the career slam – Scheffler added the PGA Championship added last month to his two green jackets – we can assume he is rather comfortable with his astonishing rate of progress by the age of 28. But there is always interest in seeing how quickly a star can pass the mile markers. By that standard, it is fun to wonder if his game and temperament can translate to a course where life can often feel unfair. Given his mind is even stronger than his play from tee to green, and indeed his putting, which in the past year ranks among the best on tour, the prognosis is good. Now he just needs to tick the box, if ever a complicated task could be reduced to such basic terms. THREE TO WATCH AT OAKMONT AARON RAI 75-1 : The understated Englishman is yet to finish higher than 19th in a major but is one of the most accurate drivers on tour. That will be worth its weight in gold on this course. SHANE LOWRY 25-1 : His game is in good shape and the 2019 Open champion has previous on this fiendish course, having reached seven under par here through 54 holes in 2016. A poor fourth round kept him from the title. XANDER SCHAUFFELE 18-1: Injury decimated early part of his season, but the two-time major winner has shown strong signs of a return to form. Game and temperament to make a big impact here. SELECTED FIRST-ROUND TEE TIMES 12.07* J-H Kim (Kor), T Pendrith (Can), JJ Spaun (US) 12.18 K Bradley (US), H English (US), T Fleetwood (Eng) 12.18* L Aberg (Swe), H Matsuyama (Jpn), A Scott (Aus) 12.29 JL Ballester (Spa), B DeChambeau (US), X Schauffele (US) 12.40 W Clark (US), M Fitzpatrick (Eng), G Woodland (US) 12.40* S Lowry (Ire), R McIlroy (NI), J Rose (Eng) 12.51 A Bhatia (US), R MacIntyre (Sco), M McCarty (US) 12.51* P Cantlay (US), L Glover (US), S-W Kim (Kor) 18.03 B Koepka (US), M W Lee (Aus), J Thomas (US) 18.14* D Johnson (US), J Rahm (Spa), J Spieth (US) 18.25 V Hovland (Nor), C Morikawa (US), S Scheffler (US) 18.25* T Hatton (Eng), S-J Im (Kor), S Straka (Aut) 18.58* N Dunlap (US), M Leishman (Aus), A Rai (Eng) UK time, *starting from 10th hole 'This is probably the hardest golf course that we'll play, maybe ever,' Scheffler told us this week, and for one of the more understated personalities in the game, that was close to bombastic. 'I kind of equate some of the major tests to the majors in tennis. You're playing on a different surface - you've got grass, clay and then the hard court, and it's a different style of game. The US Open compared to the Masters is a completely different type of test.' For a measure of how Scheffler's character differs to his closest theoretical rival here, consider the prose adapted by Bryson DeChambeau: 'Oakmont wasn't designed to be fair, it was designed to be feared.' Having won this tournament for a second time last year, DeChambeau is the only man within a postcode of Scheffler in bookmaker eyes. His LIV form is also hot and he is still bristling from the way in which he was blown away by Rory McIlroy in the final round of the Masters. Since then he has finished second at the PGA Championship, fixed a few issues with his wedge game via some typically wild equipment tweaks, and he has seen McIlroy fall into a post-Augusta lull. A McIlroy challenge would be a surprise unless his new driver prompts a dramatic upturn; a DeChambeau win would not be a shock. Generally, this course throws up big-name winners – they include Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan historically and Dustin Johnson last time, in 2016. But such is the premium on driving accuracy and putting on those rapid surfaces, Aaron Rai and Shane Lowry are the sorts of players who might threaten from a lower position of expectation. Of more familiar challengers, Xander Schauffele's recovery in health and form is also promising and Jon Rahm brought life to a dormant volcano at the PGA Championship. They could all go well. But it is one thing to navigate Oakmont and another to do it in fewer strokes than Scheffler. Of all the data in his favour, it is interesting to note he has shot higher than 72 in only five of his past 139 rounds. Compare that to McIlroy (15 in 108) and DeChambeau (15 in 86) and a picture is drawn of a sportsman who has mastered the ability to avoid high numbers. If he can do that across 72 holes here, it will rank among his finest achievements, which is no easy list to gatecrash.

Scheffler and DeChambeau set for ultimate U.S. Open test at Oakmont
Scheffler and DeChambeau set for ultimate U.S. Open test at Oakmont

Reuters

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  • Reuters

Scheffler and DeChambeau set for ultimate U.S. Open test at Oakmont

OAKMONT, Pennsylvania, June 11 (Reuters) - Scottie Scheffler will be the clear favourite when the U.S. Open begins on Thursday at Oakmont Country Club where the devilish course is sure to torment many of the world's best players vying for the year's third major title. There are 156 players in the field this week but it is the familiar trio of world number one Scheffler, defending champion Bryson DeChambeau and Masters winner Rory McIlroy who are commanding much of the attention at Oakmont. Scheffler enters the U.S. Open in stellar form having secured three wins in his last four starts. His driving proficiency and unflappable temperament make him well suited to be in contention come Sunday. The notoriously challenging Oakmont, which is hosting the U.S. Open for a record 10th time, will demand pinpoint accuracy off the tee given the five-inch rough lining the narrow fairways that lead to lightning fast greens on the par-70 layout. "There's not really many areas where you step on the tee box and you're like, hey, I can miss it right here, hey, I can shade towards the left side of the fairway because right is really bad," said Scheffler. "Actually, if you hit it in the right rough, you're probably not going to get it to the green; if you hit it in the left rough, you're probably not going to get it to the green. So might as well try and split the difference there and hit it in the middle." A win for Scheffler would put him alongside Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth as the only active players with three legs of the career Grand Slam of golf's four majors and give him a shot at completing the feat at the July 17-20 British Open. Big-hitting DeChambeau, who went close at the year's first two majors, is looking to become the first repeat U.S. Open winner since Brooks Koepka in 2018. DeChambeau, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field this week, is a fan favourite and fully expects to use their energy to help him get across the finish line and collect a third major title. "It's been a lot of fun just experiencing what the fans are giving me. It's so much energy," said DeChambeau, who briefly held the final-round lead at the Masters in April and finished runner-up at the PGA Championship last month. "The only reason why I'm still here with this much energy is because of them, and even last week (at the LIV Golf event) in Virginia, the crowds were really great and pumping me on. "Am I tired? For sure. But am I excited? I'm more excited than I am tired." World number two McIlroy, who completed the career Grand Slam at this year's Masters but has struggled since, will be hoping to get his mojo back but enters the week fresh off his first missed cut of the season. The Northern Irishman, a U.S. Open runner-up the last two years, has been errant off the tee ever since being forced to switch drivers at the PGA Championship where his preferred one was considered non-conforming following a routine inspection. Despite a less-than-ideal build-up to the U.S. Open, McIlroy pronounced himself ready for a test that will challenge both the physical and mental parts of players' games. "It's very penal if you miss. Sometimes it's penal if you don't miss," McIlroy said of Oakmont's rough. "But the person with the most patience and the best attitude this week is the one that's going to win." Among the other favourites this week are British Open champion Xander Schauffele, Spaniard Jon Rahm, Swede Ludvig Aberg and Ireland's Shane Lowry. Six-times major winner Mickelson, a record six-times U.S. Open runner-up who will celebrate his 55th birthday on Monday, needs a win this week to complete the career Grand Slam. This is the final year of Mickelson's five-year exemption into the U.S. Open for winning the 2021 PGA Championship and he has said this could be his last start at the major.

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