Emma Raducanu has opened up about her recent stalker scare, suggesting tennis officials could’ve handled it better. The 22-year-old Brit endured a harrowing ordeal last month in Dubai when a “fixated” man relentlessly hounded her before and during her second-round clash with Karolina Muchova.
Shaken, Raducanu broke down in tears behind the umpire’s chair post-incident. She briefly considered a longer hiatus, retreating home to regroup, but opted to play at this week’s BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells instead.
Now in California, Raducanu’s under tighter security after the man approached her twice while she was alone. She told BBC Sport, “It could’ve been managed better. Since then, I’ve got more focus and beefed-up protection.” She stressed moving forward: “We can only learn from it, react smarter and more positively, not dwell on blame. It’s being handled better now—that’s what matters to me.”
She’s now extra vigilant, always with company and watched closely. Though rattled, Raducanu chose not to press charges after the man’s detention; he’s banned from future events. Her childhood coach, Roman Kelecic, who was in Dubai, said the stalker trailed her across four tournaments and even tried to hug her.
Recalling the Muchova match, Raducanu said, “I was a mess. I spotted him in the first game and thought, ‘How am I going to get through this?’ Tears blurred the ball; I could hardly breathe. I needed a moment.” She pushed on but fell 7-6, 6-4. “It was heavy emotionally,” she added. “I cried after, not just from losing—weeks of this built up. I took a week off to breathe and feel way better now.”
This isn’t her first brush with such trouble—a stalker got a restraining order in 2022 after showing up at her home repeatedly. Next, she faces Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, ranked 52 to her 55, at Indian Wells. The victor meets third seed Coco Gauff, as top-32 players skip the first round.
