Emma Raducanu was pursued across multiple countries by a "calculating" and "terrifying" man who followed her to four different tennis tournaments, according to her former coach Roman Kelecic.
The British No 2 faced a distressing ordeal as the same man tracked her movements from Singapore through to Dubai, where he was finally arrested this week.
Kelecic, who coached Raducanu as a junior and recently worked with her in Abu Dhabi, revealed the extent of the stalking campaign in an interview with Croatian outlet Net.
The man first appeared at Raducanu's tournament in Singapore in January, before following her to events in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai.
"Initially we thought he was a fan, an admirer, because Emma is a really big tennis star with a huge fan base," Kelecic told Net.
Emma Raducanu was reduced to tears during the match
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The situation escalated when the man began making physical contact with the tennis star.
"Until he got physically close to her, started having contact in the form of selfies, hugging, etc," Kelecic explained.
Tournament security had been made aware of the man's presence, with his photo circulated among staff.
The man's calculated approach became evident when he strategically approached Raducanu in a tournament restaurant in Dubai on Monday.
"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 revealed.
The coach described the stalker's actions as meticulously planned.
"He had a strategy that was terrifying, he thought everything through, calculated it," said Kelecic.
"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."
Roman Kelecic gave more information about the incident
The incident was immediately reported to tournament authorities.
The stalker's presence came to a head during Raducanu's second-round match against Karolina Muchova in Dubai on Tuesday.
Just two points into the match, at 15-15, Raducanu noticed something concerning from across the court.
"Emma loses the first game and runs to us, crying, shouting, 'here he is, here he is, here he is'," Kelecic recounted.
Tournament security immediately responded to Raducanu's distress.
The man, who was sitting in the stands watching the match, was escorted away by security staff.
Dubai police subsequently arrested the individual, who is understood not to be a British or UAE national.
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Emma Raducanu dropped charges against the man
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Despite the serious nature of the incident, Raducanu later chose to drop the charges against the man.
The decision came after the stalker signed an undertaking promising not to approach her again.
"That evening we reported it immediately and again in the morning, when she was playing the match, because her safety is the most important thing to us," Kelecic said.
The resolution brought an end to a month-long ordeal that had seen the man pursue Raducanu across multiple tournaments and continents.
