"It’s terrifying how much he planned it": Emma Raducanu’s coach reveals disturbing details about obsessive stalker

Emma Raducanu’s coach, Roma Kelecic, shared details of the harassment the British tennis star faced, which led her to stop the match against Karolina Muchova. Raducanu was terrified upon spotting the man stalking her in the stands.

The 2021 US Open champion had been approached by the man in a restaurant and had already encountered him in Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi, where he exhibited obsessive behavior.

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While playing against Muchova in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Raducanu, ranked No. 61, paused the match and spoke to the chair umpire to explain the situation after seeing the man in the crowd. Raducanu started crying and hid behind the umpire's chair until security removed the man from the venue.

This week, Raducanu is working with Roma Kelecic, who is temporarily coaching her while they look for a replacement for Nick Cavaday. “This man followed her to Singapore, to Abu Dhabi – where I was with her – again in Doha, now in Dubai and we noticed him,” Kelecic, who also coached Raducanu as a junior, explained.

“Initially we thought he was a fan… until he got physically close to her, started having contact in the form of selfies, hugging,” he added.

The Telegraph reported that the man gave Raducanu a letter after approaching her at a hotel, and according to iNews, he also approached her in a restaurante. “That was the only moment in a month where I, the fitness coach, the security guard who was with us, was not with her at that moment,” Kelecic mentioned.

“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.”

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