LONDON: The man accused of stalking tennis player Emma Raducanu tried to obtain tickets to Wimbledon but was blocked by the All England Club’s security system, British media reported Tuesday.
The BBC and others reported that the man tried to apply for tickets through the public ballot for the Grand Slam tournament that starts June 30. His name had been red-flagged.
At the Dubai Championships in February, the man exhibited “ fixated behavior " toward the 22-year-old Raducanu, who became distressed during a match when she noticed him in the crowd.
A day earlier, he had left her a letter and took her photograph, which unnerved the 2021 U.S. Open champion.
After seeing the man in the stands, Raducanu took shelter behind the umpire’s chair during her second-round match against Karolina Muchova. Raducanu later said she “ couldn’t see the ball through tears ” and struggled to breathe before approaching the umpire.
The man was ejected from the tournament. He was later detained by Dubai police and signed a document pledging to “maintain distance” from Raducanu, who is ranked No. 36.