'I couldn’t see the ball through the tears’: Emma Raducanu breaks silence on stalker hell

5 March 2025, 10:39

Tennis star Emma Raducanu has spoken out about her stalking ordeal, causing her to break down in tears during a match in February.

The Former US Open champion revealed "I couldn’t see the ball through the tears, I could barely breathe,” after her stalker came to the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Raducanu was in tears as she hid behind the umpire's chair during her match against Karolina Muchova on Tuesday, after spotting the man in the crowd.

He quickly received a restraining order from the UAE police for his "fixated behaviours" as he followed the tennis star to matches all over the world.

"I was obviously very distraught.

"I saw him first game of the match, and I was like, 'I don’t know how I’m gonna finish'.

"I was playing Karolina Muchova, who’s top 17 in the world or something. I’m like, ‘I literally need to just take a breather here,’ and then the first four games kind of ran away from me. I was not on the court, to be honest, and I’m not really sure how I regrouped.

"And after the match, I did break down in tears, but not necessarily because I lost.

"It was more because there was just so much emotion in the last few weeks of events. I needed a week off to take a breather and come here and I feel a lot better," she told The Telegraph.

Roman Kelecic, Raducanu’s locum coach, told a Croatian news website that the man followed her to four tennis events in quick succession from Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai.

On the final stop, the man approached the player when she was alone in a cafe, after her support team has left.

He reportedly gave Raducanu a letter, and she realised the nature of his fixation.

She said: “There were two instances, and it was the second one that I just got freaked out by.

"The first one was more like a normal fan approaching you, except for the fact he told me he followed me from everywhere. And then he kind of watched me in the coffee shop for a while … the second incident was really worrying.”

She has a number of supportive fans around the world, who show the appropriate level of admiration.

One fan, Mark, always attends the Australian open and sits in the front row.

"The thing with Mark, he’s loud, he’s there, he’s front row, he’s wearing an ‘Emma’ shirt. That guy is not like the one in the shadows, who is in the back or is gonna do something that’s maybe a bit nerve-wracking. It’s more the hidden ones that I guess are scarier," she said.

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Raducanu told the newspaper she felt supported, receiving messages from fellow players, but she "had to go through this alone and with a very, very small group of people."

She took to Instagram after the incident to thank her fans.

The tennis star is now flanked by security at tennis events for her personal safety.

“This tournament I have had a lot of security with me," she said.

“And of course it’s amazing to feel protected, to feel safe. And my security does an amazing job of just staying in the shadows.

"He’s always there, but you can’t necessarily see him. When I’m away from the courts. I don’t have private security right now, but I’m always with someone who could raise the alarm or could help in a scenario. Whereas before I maybe would have gone on walks alone, I’m pretty much chaperoned everywhere.

“Even the [location of the] player hotel is public information. That’s not necessarily the most helpful and anyone can walk in. So that’s obviously a weak spot there.

"But I do my best. I’m always – now even more so – very aware and very alert and sensitive and don’t really go anywhere on my own.”

The tennis star said she hasn't considered hiring security for her London home.

“I live in a very safe environment. There’s high-tech alarms and everything, so it’s very secure. I think it’s been a question that was raised maybe in the last week after Dubai, but at the same time, it’s extremely expensive,” she said.

She said she is "recharged and recovered" after the ordeal, having spent time with her parents and reading.

Raducanu is set to compete in the Indian Wells open on Thursday, dubbed as 'Tennis Paradise'. She'll play world Number 52 Moyuka Uchijima, for the right to play Coco Gauff in the second round.