Emma Raducanu, Britain’s 22-year-old tennis prodigy, stepped onto the hallowed grass of Wimbledon 2025 with a mix of determination and wariness, her journey overshadowed by a series of terrifying stalking incidents that have haunted her young career. The 2021 US Open champion, now ranked No. 55, faced a disappointing third-round exit against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on July 4, but her off-court struggles drew as much attention as her forehands. From a chilling encounter in Dubai to a prior stalker’s bizarre gifts, Raducanu’s experiences have sparked renewed conversations about player safety in women’s tennis. “I’m obviously wary when I go out. I try not to be careless about it because you only realise how much of a problem it is when you’re in that situation,” she told reporters earlier this year, her words reflecting a vigilance forced upon her by repeated ordeals.
The most recent incident occurred at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February 2025, where Raducanu, mid-match against Karolina Muchova, spotted a man who had followed her across four tournaments—Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai. “I saw him in the first game of the match and I was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to finish,’” she recalled, describing how she “literally couldn’t see the ball through tears” and “could barely breathe.” Visibly distraught, she hid behind the umpire’s chair, prompting a pause in play as security removed the individual, who had approached her at a coffee shop the previous day, leaving a letter and requesting a photo. “There were two instances and it was the second one that I just got freaked out by,” she said, noting his calculated approach when she was alone. The man, whose identity remains undisclosed, signed a restraining order and was banned from WTA events pending a threat assessment, with his attempt to secure Wimbledon tickets later blocked by the All England Club’s security system.
This was not Raducanu’s first brush with such fear. In 2021, shortly after her US Open triumph at age 18, Amrit Magar, a 35-year-old from Harrow, stalked her at her Bromley home. Over three visits, he left unsettling gifts, including a bouquet with a note reading, “nothing to say but you deserve love,” and a map showing the 23 miles he walked from his home. He decorated her family’s garden tree with Christmas lights and stole a trainer from the porch, believing it was hers, as a “souvenir.” “Since all this has happened, I have felt very creeped out. I feel like my freedom has been taken away from me,” Raducanu said in a victim impact statement. Magar received a five-year restraining order, 200 hours of community service, and an electronic tag for an eight-week curfew.
The Dubai incident left Raducanu shaken but resilient. “Thank you for the messages of support. Difficult experience yesterday but I’ll be okay and proud of how I came back and competed,” she posted on Instagram, alongside a photo of Jane Austen’s *Emma* and a coffee cup, thanking Muchova for her sportsmanship. The WTA and Dubai organizers swiftly enhanced her security, a measure that followed her to Indian Wells, where she faced Moyuka Uchijima in the first round. “Since that incident I have definitely got increased attention and greater security,” she noted, emphasizing her new reality of constant vigilance. “I’m always with someone and always being watched.”
Raducanu’s ordeals highlight a broader issue in women’s tennis, with players like Katie Boulter and Serena Williams also facing stalkers. “She’s such a great young woman, and to see her go through something like that isn’t nice,” Boulter said, offering support after the Dubai incident. The All England Club, led by CEO Sally Bolton, has bolstered security, with “fixated threat specialists” now part of their protocol. As Raducanu prepares for the US Open, where she’ll partner Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles, her courage in the face of adversity—both on and off the court—continues to inspire, even as she navigates a world where safety remains a constant concern.
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