Stalker of England’s top tennis star Raducanu blocked from buying Wimbledon tickets

London: A man who has been harassing British tennis star Emma Raducanu for the past five months was recently prevented from purchasing Wimbledon tickets. Due to his inappropriate and obsessive behavior, the All England Club’s security system flagged and blacklisted him, stopping him from gaining entry to the tournament.

According to an AP report, the man attempted to buy tickets for Wimbledon 2025 which begins in London on June 30 via the public ballot. However, since his name was already on a watchlist, the system automatically blocked his application.

Emma Raducanu, now 22 years old, won the US Open 2021 at just 18, her only Grand Slam title to date. She reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2021 and 2024, and this year, she is more determined than ever to win her home tournament.

The Incident Timeline:

This so-called “Romeo” reportedly first disturbed Raducanu in February during the Dubai Championships, where he exhibited disturbing behavior in an attempt to attract her attention. During one match, Raducanu noticed from his facial expressions and body language that he was trying to signal her from the stands. She immediately alerted the organizers about hus ‘ fixated behavior’.

A day earlier, the same man had handed her a letter and took a photo of her at a coffee shop. The behavior left Raducanu deeply shaken. During her second-round match against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic, she saw him again in the stands. Raducanu ran behind the umpire’s chair, broke into tears, and had trouble breathing.

She later said, “There were tears in my eyes, and I couldn’t see the ball clearly during the match. I could barely breathe and just ran to the umpire.”

Following her complaint, the man was ejected from the tournament and denied tickets for the remaining matches. Dubai Police arrested him, and before releasing him, he was made to sign a written declaration:

“I will not stalk Raducanu again, will not approach her, and will stay away.”

Despite that, the man continued to attend her matches in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, sitting in the stands specifically to watch her play. Raducanu kept track of his presence and informed police and tournament organizers at each location.