Emma Raducanu, the British tennis star, has expressed her gratitude towards Wimbledon for successfully preventing a man accused of stalking her from attending the prestigious tournament at SW19 this month. The All England Club’s security system flagged and blocked the individual from purchasing tickets, ensuring Raducanu’s safety during the championship.
The stalker’s unwanted obsession, which has haunted Raducanu for the last few months — along with her family — brought her much anguish. As she explained, she had one particularly emotional experience at a game where she didn’t know if she would be able to concentrate because of the stalker’s actions. I could not see the ball with all the tears in my eyes. I could barely breathe. I was just, like, ‘I just need to go and have a little bit of a relax,’” Raducanu said.
It got worse when the man started following Raducanu around to various events. This follows a series of similar campaigns in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai earlier this year. After a disturbing incident at a tournament in Dubai, WTA as well called it a “fixated and distraught” scenario. Shareholders rapidly booted the harasser from the game. Police arrested him afterwards, and he signed a 12-month exclusion order agreeing to not go near Raducanu.
Given the circumstances surrounding these incidents, Raducanu addressed police directly, receiving reassurance and validation from them. “Wimbledon and everyone did an amazing job. I got this notice from the police,” she told us. They calmed my fears and made me feel a wave of relief with their preventative steps.
Raducanu has bravely spoken about the impact of being stalked on her mental wellbeing, and understood that she is not the only one to share this experience. I know I’m not the first athlete to go through this, and I sure won’t be the last. This challenge is not just faced by athletes but by all females,” she explained, emphasizing the immediate need for increased awareness surrounding these issues.
Despite this adversity, Raducanu has developed an incredible friendship with fellow American tennis player Carlos Alcaraz. Their partnership has developed since 2021, when neither had yet earned major honors. Raducanu thought back on their friendship and remarked, “It’s sweet. We really appreciate the friendship we built together that we were able to do when we were kids.”
When I told her about Alcaraz’s asking her to be part of this project earlier this year, she was shocked and thrilled. He invited me early on in the year, but I was quite shocked and honored and of course excited,” she confessed. Raducanu continued that she “did the formality of asking my coach. But of course, I’m gonna say yes.”
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