Raducanu confident in protection at events after stalker incident
Tennis correspondent at Eastbourne
Britain's Emma Raducanu has praised Wimbledon for doing "an amazing job" to prevent a man who had been stalking her from buying tickets for this month's championships.
As first reported by the BBC, the All England Club's security measures spotted the man had been red-flagged, and blocked his attempt to enter the public ballot.
The man followed Raducanu to four successive tournaments in February and the 22-year-old was left in tears when she caught sight of him in the stands at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
He was later given a restraining order by Dubai police, and his name circulated among the tennis authorities.
"Wimbledon and everyone did an amazing job. I got a notification, the police contacted me and told me everything was OK," Raducanu told BBC Sport in her first comments on the issue.
"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 shot to worldwide fame when she won the US Open as an 18-year-old in 2021.
She 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.
The Englishwoman has often had a greater security detail with her at tournaments since the upsetting incident in Dubai, and says she now feels "comfortable and safe" on tour.
"I've had great protection whenever I have been at these events recently," she continued.
"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."
Sally Bolton, chief executive of All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) told BBC Sport they spend a lot of time on ensuring security measures are tight at Wimbledon.
In addition to screening around the ballot, there are more checks and balances when it comes to those in the queue.
Raducanu also praised Katie Boulter for "taking a stand" after her compatriot spoke to BBC Sport about the scale of online abuse she receives.
Boulter and a number of female athletes across a range of sports have called for more action to be taken against those who abuse players.
"I'm glad Katie spoke out about it because it is something that we all go through," Raducanu added.
"I try and not to read the comments or look at the messages because it makes you upset.
"It doesn't matter how many positive comments you read, you are always going to remember the more negative ones - so I just try and stay away."
Raducanu is competing at Eastbourne, one of the final grass-court events before Wimbledon begins on 30 June.
She will face American Ann Li on Tuesday.
English (US) ·