Emma Raducanu praises Wimbledon for 'amazing job' of blocking stalker
Briton Emma Raducanu said she felt reassured about her safety after Wimbledon prevented a man who had been stalking her from buying tickets for the Grand Slam that begins on Monday.
The former U.S. Open champion had been followed by the man to WTA events in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha earlier this year and she broke down in tears after noticing him during one of her matches at the Dubai Championships in February.
The man was given a restraining order by Dubai police and banned from all Tour events but officials at Wimbledon, which is organised by the All England Club, had to block him following a sweep of the public ballot applicants.
"Wimbledon and everyone did an amazing job," Raducanu told the BBC. "I got a notification, the police contacted me and told me everything was OK."
"I know that I'm 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."
The 22-year-old, who had not yet been born when then world number one Monica Seles was stabbed in the back by a fan at an event in 1993, said she felt much safer with extra security at events.
"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," she added.
Raducanu also praised British number two Katie Boulter for sharing her experience of online abuse.
"I try and not read the comments or look at the messages because it makes you upset," she said. "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."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
9 hours ago
- The Citizen
Norris holds off Piastri as McLaren dominate in Austria
"We had a great battle (with Piastri), that's for sure, a lot of fun, and a lot of stress." McLaren's British driver Lando Norris reacts after winning the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg, Austria, on June 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP) Lando Norris won the Austrian Grand Prix from Oscar Piastri for a dominant McLaren 1-2 at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday. The Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton took third and fourth as Norris closed the gap on Piastri in the drivers' championship to 15 points. This was in-form McLaren's first success at the Spielberg track since David Coulthard way back in 2001. Norris set off from pole and despite being constantly pressed by his teammate held on to notch up his third win of the season. The Briton also put behind him his Canadian catastrophe last time out when he collided with Piastri's car in the closing stages, failing to finish in Montreal. 'It was a tough race, pushing all the way through,' said Norris. He added: 'Pretty hot, tiring, but perfect result, a 1-2. 'We had a great battle (with Piastri), that's for sure, a lot of fun, and a lot of stress.' Four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull crashed in the early stages after a collision with Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes when the young Italian rookie's tyres locked up.
IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
Lando Norris resists Oscar Piastri to lead dominant McLaren 1-2 in Austria
McLaren dominant Lando Norris celebrates on the podium next to teammate Oscar Piastri, a technician, and third placed Charles Leclerc after the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring race track in Spielberg on Sunday. Photo: Joe Klamar/AFP Image: Joe Klamar/AFP Lando Norris resisted vigorous attacks from team-mate and championship leader Oscar Piastri to claim a masterful McLaren 1-2 in Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix. In torrid heat at the Red Bull Ring, the 25-year-old Briton came home 2.695 seconds clear of the 24-year-old Australian to trim his lead in the title race by 15 points It was Norris's first win in Austria, his third win this year and the seventh of his career. It was McLaren's first win in Austria since David Coulthard triumphed in 2001. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. The McLaren pair battled throughout the race to provide thrilling racing for the packed crowd and put behind them their collision in Canada two weeks earlier. Charles Leclerc was third ahead of his Ferrari team-mate seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, their best result of the year, with George Russell finishing fifth for Mercedes. "It was a tough race," said Norris. "Pushing the whole way through… tricky, hot, tiring, but the perfect result for us as a team, a 1-2 again. We had a great battle, that's for sure." For Piastri, it was equally demanding. "Intense!" he said. 'Hard work' "I hope it was good watching because from inside the car it was hard work. Yeah, I tried my absolute best." Liam Lawson came in a career-best sixth for RB on a desultory day for the senior Red Bull team after four-time champion Max Verstappen retired on the opening lap after being hit by Mercedes' teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli. He is now 61 points behind Piastri. Two-time champion Fernando Alonso was seventh ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto and his Sauber team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, the future Audi outfit showing their huge potential, with Esteban Ocon finishing 10th for Haas. After a frantic prelude, during which Carlos Sainz's Williams failed to leave the grid and then caught fire in the pit lane, the race was delayed for 10 minutes – before delivering immediate drama at the second attempt. Norris made a clean start while, behind him, Piastri passed Leclerc on the outside of Turn One before Antonelli locked up and lost control at Turn Three and hit Verstappen's Red Bull. A safety car was deployed as both drivers retired on lap one ending, for the defending champion a run of 31 races in the points. "I got hit," said the Dutchman on team radio. The teenage rookie apologised. "I locked the rear. Sorry about that," he told Mercedes. The race resumed after a two-minute slowdown and Norris was forced immediately to defend as Piastri, looking sharp, attacked as also did Russell on Hamilton for fourth. Both were thwarted by defensive driving. By lap 12, the McLaren duo were four seconds clear and delivering a show of their own. Unhampered by any embarrassing hangovers from their collision in Montreal, they raced side by side and wheel to wheel, but each time the Australian attacked, the Briton hung on. In scorching heat of 32 degrees (air) and 55 (track), it was a perfect advertisement for the historic venue in the Styrian Alps which had secured a 16-year contract extension to 2041 before the race. Norris pitted, taking hards, after surviving another Piastri lunge, at turn four, on lap 20. Piastri then followed suit, emerging fourth until Leclerc pitted. After the leaders out on track also changed tyres Norris led Piastri by 6.5 seconds. Red Bull's misery intensified on lap 30 when Yuki Tsunoda hit Colapinto, sending both to the pits for repairs. The Japanese rejoined 16th and last of the runners with a new front wing before being handed a 10-second penalty. As the field settled Norris led Piastri by 3.2s. Russell began the second round of stops on lap 46, followed by the rest of the leaders, leaving Norris to complete a near-perfect day in the Styrian mountains. AFP
eNCA
11 hours ago
- eNCA
Swiatek hits out at 'too intense' schedule for top tennis stars
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek believes fans are being robbed of seeing tennis' biggest names performing at their best due to the intensity of a relentless schedule. Swiatek, who has consistently spoken out about the physical and mental demands placed upon top players, said the number of mandatory events on the WTA Tour was ruining the spectacle for fans ahead of the third Grand Slam of the year at Wimbledon, which begins on Monday. "I think the scheduling is super intense. It's too intense. There's no point for us to play, like, over 20 tournaments in a year," Swiatek said at her pre-Wimbledon press conference on Sunday. "Sometimes we need to sacrifice playing for your country because we need to keep up with playing these WTA 500s, for example, because we're going to get a zero in the ranking. "I think these kind of obligations and the rules about mandatory tournaments just put pressure on us. "For me the scheduling is pretty intense. I think people would still watch tennis, maybe even more, if we played less tournaments, but the quality, for example, would be better or we would be more consistent because of that." Swiatek is yet to win a title this year in a disappointing run that has seen her slip to fourth in the world rankings. Her three-year reign as French Open champion was ended in a semi-final defeat to world number one Aryna Sabalenka earlier this month. But a slightly earlier exit from the clay of Roland Garros has allowed Swiatek extra time to prepare for the transition to grass, where she has traditionally struggled despite winning Wimbledon as a junior. Swiatek reached her first ever grass court final on Saturday, losing to Jessica Pegula in the Bad Homburg Open. "Probably so far it's the best one that I've had," added Switek on her preparations for Wimbledon, where she has never progressed beyond the fourth round. "I had really great time in Bad Homburg and enjoyed it. Also having more time to practice before on grass really helped. I feel that I have a little bit more skills." Swiatek faces Russia's Polina Kudermetova in the first round on Tuesday.
