Emma Raducanu’s ‘terrifying’ stalker hugged tennis star obsessively after following her 3600 miles, says coach
EMMA RADUCANU’S former coach has alleged that the stalker given a restraining order in Dubai followed her across the globe to multiple tournaments.
Roman Kelecic – who has worked with Raducanu on a temporary basis – has claimed the man stalked her in Singapore, the UAE and Qatar over the past month.
Kelecic, who is based in Dubai, says the “admirer” got “physically close to her” on Monday and started to hug the Brit when they posed for selfies.
In an article in Croatian media, Kelecic said: “So, it’s a creepy story.
“This man followed her back to Singapore, to Abu Dhabi where I was with her, again in Doha, now in Dubai and we noticed him.
“But initially we thought he was a fan, an admirer, because Emma is a really big tennis star with a huge fan base.
“Until he got physically close to her, started having contact in the form of selfies, hugging, etc.”
The man – who the WTA say “exhibited fixated behaviour” – was arrested by Dubai Police on Tuesday night after he was spotted in the stands for her second-round defeat to Karolina Muchova.
When Raducanu first noticed him, she burst into tears and hid behind the umpire’s chair before he was ejected from the premises by security staff.
Charges were later dropped but Dubai Police say the “tourist” went on to “sign a formal undertaking to maintain distance from her and has been banned from future tournaments”.
There is confusion about where exactly Raducanu was approached on Monday by the man who left her a note and took her photograph.
Croatian media reports that the incident occurred when the former US Open champion was eating alone in a restaurant.
The WTA dispute that this restaurant was connected to the tournament and highlighted that there are eating establishments and cafes outside of credentialed areas and in public spaces.
Kelecic – who coached Raducanu when she was a junior – 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.
“It’s terrifying how much he, in essence, thought about it all and planned it. His strategy worked, and it was to get closer to her.”
SunSport has approached Raducanu’s camp for comment but it is understood Raducanu had seen the man a number of times previously.
Raducanu took to social media on Wednesday to thank fans and peers for their encouragement during the “difficult” period.
She 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.”