Emma Raducanu, Britain’s tennis sensation faced a nightmare off the court. A stalker followed her to four successive tournaments in the stands and his obsessive behaviour left the 22-year-old in tears during a match in Dubai. The stalker also tried to sneak into Wimbledon’s public ticket ballot. However, with the All England Club’s security measures, his attempt went in vain.
Who is Emma Raducanu’s stalker?
The stalker’s identity remains a mystery, as his name has not been made public. Notably, he followed Raducanu to tournaments in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai. His actions, like approaching her and trying to get Wimbledon tickets, have raised serious alarms. This isn’t Raducanu’s first ordeal, a different stalker was given a five-year restraining order in 2022 after walking 23 miles to her home.
What happened in Dubai?
In February, at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Raducanu faced a terrifying moment. The day before her second-round match against Karolina Muchova, the stalker approached her near the player’s hotel, giving her a letter and asking for a photo. Already uneasy from seeing him at earlier tournaments, Raducanu was shaken.
During the match, she spotted him in the crowd, leading her to a breakdown. “I literally couldn’t see the ball through tears. I could barely breathe,” she said. She hid behind the umpire’s chair, overwhelmed. Security removed the man, and Dubai police issued a restraining order.
Speaking to the reporters after the incident, Raducanu said, “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. I was like: ‘I need to just take a breather.’ I’m always with someone and always being watched.”
How did Wimbledon respond?
Wimbledon’s organizers, the All England Lawn Tennis Club, acted immediately when they came to know that the stalker tried to buy tickets for this month’s Championships through the public ballot. His name was flagged during a security check, as it had been shared with tennis authorities after Dubai. The attempt was blocked, ensuring he couldn’t get near Raducanu.
Other security measures at the Wimbledon
Wimbledon prioritizes player safety. Sally Bolton, the chief executive said, “We’re liaising with the tours, with the Met police, with other security agencies right through the year to think about the types of risks we need to look at and adjusting what we put in place.”
“I would say to players should have confidence when they’re here and if they are concerned on any basis they should come and talk to us about that because we can put bespoke arrangements in place,” she added.
