British is now in Indian Wells for the WTA 1,000 tournament where she will get five guards around her, all led by a former Secret Service agent in California.
Raducanu, who was raised by the US Open as a qualifying player in 2021, first perceived the stalker as a supporter but began to feel discomfort when he followed during several tournaments and became physically approaching.
In the second round in Dubai, she discovered the stalker early near her chair during the match against Karolina Muchova.
Looking to never be by yourself
– I saw him in the first game of the match and I said to myself: “I don’t know how to complete the match”, says Raducanu according to the BBC.
After 2-0 in the first set, Raducanu broke down and went behind the judge to try to gather. She was comforted by Muchova and the match continued after the short incident. At the same time, the stalker was thrown out of the arena and WTA turned him off from all events.
– I literally couldn’t see the ball for all the tears. I could barely breathe. I thought, “I just have to try to breathe a little,” Raducanu continues.
Raducanu now makes sure to never be in any context.
55-ranked Raducanu meets the 52-ranked Japanese Moyka Uchijama in the first round of the tournament that started tonight Swedish time.