Raducanu ‘wary’ when she goes out after stalking ordeal

Adversity. Scrutiny. Judgement.

In the four years since Emma Raducanu wrote the ultimate feel-good tale of a sporting underdog by winning the US Open as a qualifier, the sequels of social media abuse and stalking have left her dwelling on those three words.

As a result, she is now “wary” when she goes out.

The 22-year-old was left in tears and hiding behind the umpire’s chair four months ago after being targeted by a stalker during a match in Dubai.

She said it had been “difficult” to move on and that matters had not been helped by instability in the team around her at a time when she was without a full-time coach.

But, as she prepared to compete in the new women’s event at Queen’s this week, she looked relaxed on a practice court in front of the dozens of fans who had packed in to catch a glimpse.

Raducanu said she has been feeling safer at tournaments and her spirits were also lifted by the return to her team of former coach Nick Cavaday for the grass-court season.

“I’ve definitely noticed a difference in how people are watching my back when I’m on the site [at tournaments],” she told BBC Sport.

“I’m obviously wary when I go out. I try not to be careless about it because you only realise how much of a problem it is when you’re in that situation and I don’t necessarily want to be in that situation again.

“But off the court right now, I feel good. I feel pretty settled. I feel like I have good people around me and anything that was kind of negative I’m just like trying to brush it off as much as I can.”

But it does not necessarily come naturally.

“When you see those negative headlines, especially, it is really hard,” she added. “I’m someone who cares what people think and what people say. So it is not easy for me to deal with.”

The British number two, now ranked 37th in the world, begins her Queen’s campaign on Tuesday against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa but has played down her expectations and is managing an ongoing issue of back spasms.

A group of ball girls giggle with excitement as they spot Raducanu hitting at Queen’s Club on Sunday.

She remains a huge draw to fans, sponsors and tournament organisers.

Multiple wrist and ankle operations and a series of other injuries derailed her attempts to build on that Grand Slam triumph in New York and frequent changes to her coaches also prompted questions around her set-up.

One coach, Vladimir Platenik, remained in her team for just a fortnight earlier this year.

However, she is starting this grass-court season with a more familiar and stable team, bringing back childhood coach Cavaday – who stepped aside for health reasons in January – to work alongside Mark Petchey, a former coach of Andy Murray.

“[In] the last couple months I found some better form but I’ve also learnt about myself that I can’t necessarily do it with people that I don’t trust, or I don’t necessarily like so, truthfully, for me that’s what’s improved as well in the last couple months,” she said.

“I have a pretty good gut feeling and intuition about people who I get on with, and who I trust.

“And I think sometimes I try and reason with myself because logically I’m like, ‘OK, well, maybe this person can bring me this and I need it’, and I try and force myself through it, but I’ve just realised, it doesn’t work.

“And when there’s a bad energy or bad environment, it just lingers.”

Raducanu reached the Miami Open quarter-finals and fourth round at the Italian Open since linking up with Petchey on a casual basis in March, but lost to Iga Swiatek in the second round of this month’s French Open.

Cavaday, who oversaw her rise back into the top 60 after she missed much of 2023 while recovering from surgeries, had been Raducanu’s sixth full-time coach of her professional career, following partnerships with Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov and Sebastian Sachs.

“I’m happy to see him healthy first of all, it has been a long time since we were last on court together in Australia,” Raducanu told a news conference when speaking about Cavaday.

“Mark is in Paris commentating [on the French Open], Nick was around and it was nice to have a few days with him. They’ll both be helping me throughout the grass [season]. I trust them both a lot.”

For Raducanu, being back in London does not feel like being at a tournament – which she likes.

“I love going for walks, like knowing where everything is and also just being able to switch off and detach,” she said.

“Your friends, your family are in the city, whereas when you’re on site [at other tournaments], you see the other players and you get into that mode but [here] you can go home.”

And the first women’s tournament at Queen’s for more than half a century is not only providing Raducanu with home comforts but also the chance to try out a rare spot of doubles with British number one Katie Boulter.

“I’m quite nervous because I haven’t played doubles and I haven’t really practised doubles,” Raducanu said.

“So I’m just, like, not really sure what to do, but I’m just going to hope that Katie tells me what to do. I’m good at taking directions. So, if someone just tells me what to do, I’ll just try and execute as best I can.”

She has said she is “pretty chilled out” about the grass-court season which culminates with Wimbledon at the end of this month – a tournament where she first attracted attention with a run to the last 16 a couple of months before her US Open exploits.

“I don’t necessarily want to be too amped up, too overhyped, but I’m just taking it as it comes really first,” she said.

After all, she has bigger things to prove to others.

“I want to be a message and just an example of someone who has faced a lot of adversity, a lot of scrutiny, a lot of judgement and try and come out of that as best as I can,” she said.

“And for anyone who’s kind of been like dropped or had a lot of rejections to try and come out on the other side as best as possible.

“It’s something that I wouldn’t say I’ve come out and done yet but I’m trying and I’m on the way to.”