Emma Raducanu had a terrifying experience during a match this week at the Dubai Open, after a man sitting in the stalls displayed ‘fixated behaviour.’ Emma, 22, was playing the second game of her second-round match, which had been delayed by rain, when she went in tears to the umpire’s chair and dried her tears with a towel. Her opponent came over to comfort her, and the man was removed from the tennis court by security.
The WTA, the governing body of the women's game, later released a statement revealing that the man was removed from the stands and would be barred from attending future WTA events pending further investigation of the circumstances surrounding the incident.
'On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behavior,' said the statement. 'This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma’s match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and subsequently ejected. He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment,' they said, adding 'Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events. The WTA is actively working with Emma and her team to ensure her well-being and provide any necessary support. We remain committed to collaborating with tournaments and their security teams worldwide to maintain a safe environment for all players.'
Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg wrote on X: 'This sort of thing, sadly, is another age-old issue in women’s tennis. WTA security has generally been very good the last few decades.' Meanwhile, one fan posted 'Pretty scary situation when a stalker turns up at your match. Raducanu did well to finish given how rattled she was.'
It's been reported that there is no connection between this man and a previous stalker who terrorised Emma. Just three years ago, a driver from north-west London was handed a five-year restraining order in February 2022, after repeatedly visiting Raducanu’s home. The incident saw Amrit Magar loiter outside Emma’s house, leaving unwanted gifts and cards, and stealing items from the porch. He left a bouquet of flowers with a note that read ‘Nothing to say but you deserve love.’ He also left a self-drawn map to show the ‘23 miles’ he had walked from his home.
In a statement to the court at the time, Emma, who was then 19, said the ordeal had left her feeling afraid to go out alone. ‘Since all this has happened I have felt creeped out. I feel very apprehensive if I go out, especially if I am on my own,’ she said. ‘Because of this I feel like my freedom has been taken away from me. I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I feel on edge and worried this could happen again. I don’t feel safe in my own home, which is where I should feel safest.’
Emma isn’t the only tennis player to have a terrifying stalker experience. In 1993, an obsessed Steffi Graf fan stabbed Monica Seles on court in Hamburg. In 2012, a man was arrested for trying to break into the Wimbledon grounds to get close to Serena Williams. Last year, American tennis player Danielle Collins was asked what she won't miss when she retires, to which she responded 'the stalkers.' She followed that up in an interview with The Telegraph, saying 'I’m serious,' continuing 'I don’t think it’s something that gets talked about a ton, but many of us have had security issues during our time playing on tour. I had a few different situations over the years. It’s never fun, the feeling of looking over your shoulder.'
It's sad to think that female sports stars at the top of their game, such as Emma, can't even play the sport they love without fear of being stalked or harassed. Although Emma managed to finish the game, it can't have been easy. After years of gruelling training, pressure and hard work, the very least women deserve is a chance to shine, whether that's on the court, the pitch, or the track.
But Emma's story is also a terrifying reminder of what women go through every day. One in five women (20.2%) have experienced stalking at some point since the age of 16, according to our latest figures from the Office For National Statistics. Only 6.6% of reports of stalking to the police in the year ending March 2022 resulted in a charge by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Only 1.4% of cases in that same year ended in the stalker being convicted.
All this shows that stalking urgently needs to be taken more seriously, to protect all women - both those in the public eye and those who aren't - from these terrifying experiences. We're tired of looking over our backs. When will things change?