The coach who was with Emma Raducanu in Dubai has claimed the man who was given a restraining order to stay away from the tennis star had been following her from tournament to tournament since Singapore.
In her second round match in Dubai, Raducanu was brought to tears and hid on the court when she spotted the man in the crowd.
It emerged that this individual had been showing signs of ‘fixated behaviour’ and had already approached her once that week.
Dubai Police announced they had detained a ‘tourist’ who ‘approached her, left her a note, took her photograph, and engaged in behaviour that caused her distress’.
The man in question was detained by police and ‘signed a formal undertaking to maintain distance’ from Raducanu.
Roman Kelecic, who has been temporarily coaching Raducanu, gave an interview to a Croatian website, Croatian outlet Net.
He said: ‘This man followed her to Singapore, to Abu Dhabi – where I was with her – again in Doha, now in Dubai and we noticed him.
‘Initially we thought he was a fan… until he got physically close to her, started having contact in the form of selfies, hugging.’
Emma Raducanu broke down in tears during her second-round match in Dubai on Tuesday
A coach has claimed a man had been following Raducanu from tournament to tournament
Raducanu broke her silence on the incident with an Instagram Story post on Wednesday
Commenting on the first time the man approached Raducanu in Dubai, Kelecic said: ‘That was the only moment in a month where I, the fitness coach, the security guard who was with us, was not with her.
‘So that man was assessing the situation and looking for the best moment to get closer to her. He had a strategy that was terrifying, he thought everything through, calculated it.’
The man was detained by police and signed a restraining order.
Dubai authorities issued an update on Thursday.
A statement read: ‘Dubai authorities have taken swift action to address an incident involving British tennis star Emma Raducanu, in accordance with local legal protocols.
‘Following Raducanu’s complaint, Dubai Police detained a tourist who approached her, left her a note, took her photograph, and engaged in behaviour that caused her distress during the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The moment that Emma Raducanu appeared to spot her ‘stalker’ during a match in Dubai
After spotting the ‘stalker’ Raducanu then walked towards the crowd and appeared to exchange words with someone
‘While Raducanu later chose to drop the charges, the individual signed a formal undertaking to maintain distance from her and has been banned from future tournaments.
‘Dubai remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of all residents and visitors to the emirate.’
Footage, from the match, showed the moment Raducanu spotted a man in the crowd.
Raducanu had just won a point to make it 15-15 in the second game of the match. She was celebrating with a clenched fist when she seemed to identify someone sat in the stand behind her.
She then walked towards them, shaking her head, before some unintelligible words were exchanged.
A male spectator dressed in a khaki tee-shirt and a baseball cap appeared to be escorted from his seat by a member of security staff
The 22-year-old was visibly distressed after showing the umpire, Miriam Bley, the ‘stalker’
She was seen discussing the issue with umpire Miriam Bley, who communicated with tournament organisers off court via her walkie-talkie.
The 22-year-old then hid behind the umpire’s chair and had to be comforted by Bley and her opponent Karolina Muchova, before the game could resume.
Shortly after, a male spectator dressed in a khaki tee-shirt and a baseball cap appeared to be escorted from his seat by a member of security staff.
However, this did not appear to be the same man who Raducanu had been gesturing and speaking towards moments earlier.
The match was briefly paused after Raducanu had lost the first two games against Muchova.
The match was briefly paused after Raducanu had lost the first two games against Karolina Muchova
Raducanu was eventually beaten by Karolina Muchova (pictured), who she thanked for being a ‘great sport’ when she was visibly distressed on court
Once it resumed, the Brit went on to lose the match 7-6 6-4.
On Wednesday, Raducanu flew home to England and then took to Instagram to try and reduce any fears over her wellbeing.
Alongside a photo of the Jane Austen novel ‘Emma’ and a cup of coffee, Raducanu wrote: ‘Thank you for the messages of support. Difficult experience yesterday but I’ll be okay and proud of how I came back and competed despite what happened at the start of the match.
‘Thank you to Karolina for being a great sport and best of luck to her for the rest of the tournament.’
It has since emerged that the name of the ‘fixated’ man who was removed from the crowd in Dubai has been passed on to Wimbledon.
Within hours of the incident, Mail Sport understands the man’s name was shared with tournament organisers at SW19, who immediately placed him on a watchlist they maintain of suspect individuals.
It has since emerged that the name of the ‘fixated’ man who was removed from the crowd in Dubai has been passed on to Wimbledon
On Wednesday, Raducanu flew home to England and then took to Instagram to try and allay any fears over her wellbeing
The Womens Tennis Association confirmed that a man had previously approached Raducanu at her first-round match against Maria Sakkari, adding in a statement that the governing body were working with the player to ensure her safety.
The man has been banned from WTA events
Raducanu has previously been targeted by unwanted and troubling attention from obsessive fans, seeing a five-year ban handed out to a stalker who walked 23 miles to her family home in late 2021.
Amrit Magar, 35, was convicted in early 2022 after being found guilty of sending love notes, visiting Raducanu’s home on three separate occasions, and stealing a shoe which he believed belonged to the then-19-year-old player.
Raducanu later admitted in a statement shared with the court that the experience had left her ‘constantly looking over her shoulder’ and feeling as if her ‘freedom had been taken away’.
Married man Amrit Magar, 35, was handed a five-year restraining order and sentenced to an 18-month community order for stalking the British tennis star
He was handed a five-year restraining order after he stalked 19-year-old US Open champion between November 1 and December 4 last year after a trial at Bromley Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard he went to the tennis stars home on three separate dates, loitered outside, left unwanted gifts and cards and stole property from the porch.
Ex-Amazon delivery driver Magar’s actions left the British tennis superstar feeling unsafe in her own home.
He was arrested after the British number one’s father Ian was alerted that someone was at the front door by a doorbell camera, before discovering his trainer had been taken from the porch.
Raducanu’s team have been approached for comment.
