Emma Raducanu Praises Wimbledon For Blocking Stalker: 'Police Contacted Me...'

Last Updated:June 24, 2025, 16:40 IST

Emma Raducanu expressed relief after Wimbledon blocked a man who had been stalking her from buying tickets. He received a restraining order.

Emma Raducanu praises Wimbledon for 'amazing job' of blocking stalker (AP)

Emma Raducanu, a British tennis player, expressed her relief over her safety after Wimbledon blocked a man who had been stalking her from buying tickets for the Grand Slam event, which starts on Monday. Earlier this year, the former U.S. Open champion was followed by the man to WTA events in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Doha. She broke down in tears after spotting him during one of her matches at the Dubai Championships in February.

The man received a restraining order from Dubai police and was banned from all Tour events. However, Wimbledon officials, organised by the All England Club, had to prevent him from attending by filtering public ballot applicants.

“Wimbledon and everyone did an amazing job," Raducanu was quoted as saying by the BBC. “I got a notification, the police contacted me and told me everything was OK."

She acknowledged that such incidents are not uncommon, saying, “I know that I’m not the first athlete to go through this, and I probably won’t be the last – not just as an athlete, but females in general."

The 22-year-old, who had not yet been born when then-world number one Monica Seles was stabbed in the back by a fan at an event in 1993, mentioned that she now feels much safer with increased security at events.

“I have a lot more protection around me – especially the ones here in the UK, where it’s busy and there’s more spectators around. I feel a difference, and that reassures me and makes me feel more comfortable," she added.

Raducanu also praised British number two Katie Boulter for discussing her experience with online abuse.

“I try and not read the comments or look at the messages because it makes you upset," she said. “It doesn’t matter how many positive comments you read, you are always going to remember the more negative ones – so I just try and stay away."

Emma On Carlos Alcaraz Rumours

The 22-year-old Raducanu spoke about her relationship with Carlos Alcaraz, a five-time Grand Slam champion who recently won the French Open by defeating world No.1 Jannik Sinner.

The former US Open winner expressed that she highly values her connection with Alcaraz, which has existed since they were young.

“It is nice and I think, for all of us, we really value those connections that we had from when we were young," Raducanu said.

“Because when you become a bit more known or a bit more successful, you just find yourself reverting back to people you knew from a young age and because that’s a real genuine connection, because it becomes very busy and you have a lot more friends – but the ones that you’ve known for a long time mean a lot more to you," she added.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Ritayan Basu

Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha...Read More

Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha...

Read More

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News sports Emma Raducanu Praises Wimbledon For Blocking Stalker: 'Police Contacted Me...'