Emma Raducanu no longer feels safe in her own home. The tennis star had three uninvited visits from a stalker at the end of 2021. The man was arrested and convicted, but the fear remains.
Emma Raducanu is a real child prodigy: In September, the then 18-year-old surprisingly won the US Open, one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world, as a qualifier. The Brit feels safe on the big courts of the tennis world, her demeanor is pure self-confidence. In her own home, however, the teenager lives in fear, as she recently had to report to the police. As British media reported, Raducanu was pursued by a stalker at the end of last year, who terrified her.
“Since all this happened, I’ve been feeling very scared. I feel like my freedom has been taken away. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder.” She “doesn’t feel safe in my own house. I want to move to a new house with better security because I’m afraid he might come back since he knows where my house is.”
A court has now found a man guilty, the sentence will be determined in the coming month. No matter what is then announced, the events took the tennis star hard. “Since all this happened, I feel insecure. I feel very anxious when I go out, especially when I’m alone,” Raducanu said during questioning by police.
The married man traveled to the London suburb where Raducanu lives with her parents after watching them play on TV, the Daily Mail reported. There he asked strangers the way to their house – and his research was apparently successful. From November 23, the 35-year-old appeared in front of the tennis player’s house. His first message to Raducanu was a short letter and flowers: “There is nothing to say, but you deserve love”. In addition to his own name, the stalker had also written the names of his wife and their dog. He told the tennis star’s bewildered parents that he was just a courier delivering a gift.
Stalker is ashamed
On his second visit, on December 2, the court reports, he dropped a red envelope into the Raducanus mailbox, which contained a hand-drawn “map” – on which the convict had marked the distance between his home and Raducanus’ address. A piece of paper said: “23 miles walked 4 you” – he walked 23 miles for the frightened tennis player.
Two days later, he revisited the estate, equipped with strings of lights, which he used to decorate a tree in front of the Raducanus home. Noticing the door was open, the man stole a shoe from the tennis player’s father – thinking it belonged to Emma Raducanu. Father Raducanu noticed the fleeing intruder and stopped him at a bus stop, where police arrested him.
In testifying, the abusive fan claimed he was ashamed now that he knew he had upset Raducanu. Judge Sushil Kumar found the man guilty, saying: “His inability to explain how he could not view this as harassment is unbelievable.” The stalker was released on bail pending sentencing. He was forbidden from contacting Emma Raducanu or her parents. In addition, he is no longer allowed to enter the street where they live.
