Emma Raducanu Praises Wimbledon Staff for Preventing Stalker from Buying Tickets for the Grand Slam Event

Wimbledon red-flagged and blocked the man who stalked Emma Raducanu during the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Emma Raducanu Praises Wimbledon Staff for Preventing Stalker from Buying Tickets for the Grand Slam Event

Emma Raducanu (via X/The Tennis Letter)

Last week, Sally Bolton, chief executive of All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) announced that they have blocked Emma Raducanu’s stalker from buying tickets for the Wimbledon Championship, which starts on June 30. The British star has now praised the staff of the grass-court Grand Slam for doing a great job.

The aforementioned stalker was a man who exhibited fixated behavior during Raducanu’s second-round match at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. The 22-year-old was playing against Karolina Muchova when she spotted the man in the stands and hurriedly hid behind the umpire’s chair. He was removed from the stadium.

It later emerged that the man also left Raducanu a note and took her photograph ahead of her match and had followed her to three previous tournaments. He was subsequently handed a restraining order and banned from future tennis tournaments. However, the All England Club revealed that the security system had found the man trying to apply for Wimbledon tickets through the public ballot.

He was quickly red-flagged and his attempt was blocked from gaining entrance into the ticketing system. During an interview with BBC Sports, Raducanu revealed how she was informed about the stalker who tried to buy tickets, while praising Wimbledon for doing an amazing job:

Wimbledon and everyone did an amazing job. I got a notification, the police contacted me and told me everything was OK. I know that I am not the first athlete to go through this, and I probably won’t be the last – not just as an athlete, but females in general.

Raducanu has previously been the victim of a stalker, with another man given a five-year restraining order in 2022 after he walked 23 miles to her home. Since the stalking incident in Dubai, the British star has often had a great security detail with her at tournaments to make her feel safe:

I’ve had great protection whenever I have been at these events recently. I have a lot more protection around me – especially the ones here in the UK, where it’s busy and there’s more spectators around. I feel a difference, and that reassures me and makes me feel more comfortable.

Raducanu withdrew from the just-concluded Berlin Tennis Open after suffering a back injury at the Queen’s Club Championships. She will be back on the court at the Eastbourne Open as she looks to get her final preparation ahead of the Wimbledon Championship.

Emma Raducanu worried about the windy conditions at the Eastbourne International

Emma Raducanu opened her grass-court account at the Queen’s Club Championships, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to World No.5 Qinwen Zheng in straight sets. She now heads to Eastbourne International, a WTA 250 tournament known for its blustery conditions due to its position on the southeast coast of England.

Emma Raducanu Miami Open 2025
Emma Raducanu (Image via LTA)

Despite being happy to be back on tour, Raducanu worried about the challenge of playing in the windy conditions:

All in all, I’m looking forward to this week and also preparing for Wimbledon. It’s so windy – I definitely forgot how windy it was so I’m trying to get used to that. In London I was feeling good but coming to Eastbourne, not so good (with the conditions), but I think that’s something that everyone has to accept and come to terms with.

Raducanu opened her Eastbourne International campaign against Ann Li. The American began her grass-court season by reaching the round of 16 at the Libema Open. Raducanu prevailed against the 24-year-old in a three-setter.

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