Emma Raducanu Opens Up: No Longer “Hiding” After Stalker Incident and Public Recognition

British tennis star Emma Raducanu has revealed she no longer feels the need to “hide from anything” following a distressing incident earlier this year involving a man who displayed “fixated behaviour.” The 2021 US Open champion experienced significant emotional distress after encountering the individual, who had tracked her to four consecutive tournaments, in the stands during a match in Dubai this past February.

Millenium TV has learned that the man was swiftly removed from the venue and subsequently issued a restraining order by Dubai police. The day prior, he had approached Raducanu in a coffee shop, presenting her with a letter and requesting a photograph.

Despite the unsettling experience, the 23-year-old athlete states she has “got over” the ordeal. However, she admits to occasionally feeling unnerved by unsolicited photographs of herself. “What did creep me out was I saw a photo of myself in London, and I didn’t see the paparazzi [photographers] taking it,” Raducanu explained. She continued, “I was with my two best friends. I just didn’t see the ‘paps’. That’s obviously creepy, when you’re like: I didn’t see them – how did they take this photo?” She added, “But other than that, I feel good because someone’s always watching my back.”

Previously, Raducanu had expressed feeling safer at tournaments but remained cautious when out in public. This month, she is training in Barcelona with coach Francisco Roig, having recently commuted frequently to London by train from her parents’ home in Bromley.

While navigating busy rush hour commutes, Raducanu has become more comfortable with public recognition. She commented, “In rush hour, people are so locked in to their world. They’re not really paying attention and probably not expecting to see me either.” She noted, “I have my hood up, or whatever, but they’re just so focused and absorbed in their own world.” Raducanu described the experience, saying, “It’s all so crazy. It’s like everyone’s on a mission. You have to get the elbows out, just to get through.” She concluded with a sense of newfound ease, stating, “If people recognise me, if people see me, and they want to come up to me, then that’s great, but I don’t necessarily feel like I’m hiding from anything any more.”