Emma Raducanu’s terrifying ordeal in Dubai where she was targeted by a “fixated” fan is scarily reminiscent of her past ordeal being stalked by a creep who walked 23 miles to get to her home
Emma Raducanu broke down in tears after being targeted at the Dubai Tennis Championship by a “fixated” fan in an incident scarily reminiscent of a past ordeal.
According to the Telegraph, the Brit tennis ace was approached at her hotel on Monday by a man who gave Raducanu a letter. His identity remains unknown, but it’s thought he isn’t a UK national.
The same man is then believed to have been spotted sitting in the first few rows during the 22-year-old’s defeat to Karolina Muchova, prompting her to burst into tears and hide behind the umpire’s chair.
After a discussion with a team member, she reported a security issue to the umpire, later prompting a statement from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which confirmed the “fixated” man had been removed and banned from future tournaments.
Sadly, it isn’t the first time Raducanu has been subject to unwanted attention from a fan with an unhealthy obsession, following a traumatic experience shortly after she became a household name by winning the US Open.
In February 2022, a trial at Bromley Magistrates’ Court heard how a stalker sent the “scared” teenager creepy notes and walked some 23 miles to deliver them to her home.
Amrit Magar, a then 35-year-old former delivery driver, from Harrow, London, was handed a five-year restraining order for stalking Raducanu.
The court heard he visited her house in south-east London on three separate dates. On one occasion he decorated a tree in the front garden with Christmas lights and left other decorations in a gift bag.
He also dropped off a bouquet of flowers with a note which read “nothing to say but you deserve love”. The stalker posted a card too, including a hand-drawn map to show the “23 miles” he had walked from his home.
It left the British number feeling her “freedom has been taken away and constantly looking over her shoulder” and her family now want to move.
Magar, originally from Nepal, was arrested after Raducanu’s father Ian was alerted to his presence by a doorbell camera. He noticed a trainer he had left in the porch was missing, then followed him in his car.
Magar told officers he had been “drawn” to Raducanu “because of her high-profile status after her victory in the US Open” and had taken the shoe, believing it belonged to her, as a “souvenir”.
Magar was found guilty of stalking between November 1 and December 4, 2021 after a trial and was given the order by District Judge Sushil Kumar.
The order banned him from contacting Raducanu or her parents, coming within a mile of their street and attending any sports ground, stadium or training facility where she is in competition or attending to train.
He was also sentenced to an 18-month community order, including 200 hours of unpaid work, plus an eight-week curfew between 9pm and 6am, monitored by an electronic tag.
Reading Raducanu’s victim impact statement, prosecutor Denise Clewes said: “The incidents made her feel very apprehensive if she goes out.
“Her parents are reluctant to let her go out on her own. She feels her freedom has been taken away and is constantly looking over her shoulder.”
The court heard that Raducanu no longer felt “safe in her own home” and the stalking had “put a lot of stress on the family”. Ms Clewes said: “She feels her privacy has been invaded, which makes her feel uncomfortable and uneasy.”
Raducanu’s father also made a statement, telling the court he was “very worried about his daughter’s safety and security and concerned the man may want revenge” because he called the police.
He said the incident had highlighted “how exposed” they were as a family and “how easy it is to find where she lives”.
Speaking at the time, Raducanu’s mother, Renee, said the family wanted “to move house so they have better security and feel safer”.