Emma Raducanu’s stalker ordeal proves women aren’t safe anywhere

From Rihanna to Lily Allen, we seem to hear far too regular reports about famous women being stalked by men.

But rarely do we see the immediate impact of this violent and terrifying behaviour, as witnessed on Emma Raducanu’s face this week when she became clearly scared and hid behind the umpire’s chair while playing a tennis match in Dubai.

Unbeknown to those watching that a man in the front rows of the stadium had clearly done something to upset her. 

We are now hearing that the same man had shown ‘fixated behaviour’ towards her, delivering a letter to her at her hotel hours before the game.

He has now been banned from all WTA events worldwide, but this incident poses a serious question: where are women safe?

In my role as a consultant and educator, I am often recruited to increase women’s feelings of safety – whether that’s in public, online, or at work.

Women – like men – have a legal right to be safe at work, with tougher legislation being passed last year through the Workers’ Protection Bill to ensure they are safe from harassment in their place of work.

However, too often, I have heard women recount stories of feeling unsafe.

This can be in places like the night-time economy where women experience high rates of harassment by male customers, to nurses receiving threatening and intimidating behaviour from patients – it isn’t rare. It is common.

Women do not feel safe in the majority of spaces they inhabit on a daily basis, with many recounting their own numerous stories of male violence.

This Is Not Right

On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a year-long campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.

Throughout the year we will be bringing you stories that shine a light on the sheer scale of the epidemic.

With the help of our partners at Women's Aid, This Is Not Right aims to engage and empower our readers on the issue of violence against women.

You can find more articles here, and if you want to share your story with us, you can send us an email at vaw@metro.co.uk.

Read more:

• Introducing This Is Not Right: Metro's year-long violence against women campaign
• Yvette Cooper's message to abusers and rapists: The streets don't belong to you
• Remembering the women killed by men in 2024
• Stories about violence against women don't make an impact - this is why
• Men - we need your help to end violence against women
• What to do if your loved one is at risk from domestic abuse

From harassment, following, catcalling, up to much more violent behaviours – we’re witnessing the impact of this in realtime on the face of Emma Raducanu this week.

As a mother and a women’s safety consultant, it breaks my heart to see a 22-year-old, talented young woman being so intimidated and scared in a place where she should be safe.

Emma, like all women in society, has the right to perform her daily routine of work, socialising and travelling without feeling at threat and in danger from violent men.

With all the media present at this game, it goes to show just how brazen and obsessive this behaviour is and, clearly, it is something that famous women endure far too often.

Hearing that this isn’t her first encounter with a stalker shows just how prevalent this form of male violence is.

Stalking is also particularly misunderstood, not just among the general public, but through huge gaps in the criminal justice system. This indicates just how underestimated this compulsive and obsessive behaviour is and how indicative that offenders may perpetrate more serious violence in the future.

Just look at the case of Gracie Spinks, who was murdered in 2021 by a man she reported to police for stalking her months before he brutally killed her.

The jury listed a number of police failings – with Derbyshire Police even offering their ‘most sincere apologies’ – but they could not conclude that these contributed to Gracie’s death.

The list of celebrity women in the public eye subjected to violence from men goes on and on.

Holly Willoughby bravely revoked her right to anonymity in a case against a stalker who was jailed last year for his plan to kidnap, rape, and murder her after becoming obsessed with the TV star.

Those of us old enough will also remember the horrific event of Monica Seles being stabbed live on TV while playing a match against Magdalena Maleeva in Germany in 1993. Described then as a ‘fan’ of Steffi Graf – who Seles had a sporting rivalry with – the incident led to much increased security measures for players at games.

Yet, these stories seem to be more prevalent than ever.

Of course, social media and an increased online presence plays its part in the increase of obsessive and threatening behaviour towards women, with Technology-Facilitated Gender Based Violence (TFGBV) being an issue in its own right. 

This is where abusers will strategically use things like social media and other online platforms to abuse others. 

There have even been stories of men using online bank transfers to send ex-partners abusive messages to continue harassment.  

However, what this really proves is that violent and misogynistic men will use any means possible to intimidate and threaten women, regardless of where they are.

Until we eradicate the phenomena of male entitlement – which allows men to believe they have ownership over women and their bodies – we will continue to see and hear terrifying stories of this nature.

Let’s hope, for Emma and all the women out there, that, as a society we finally heed this wake up call and recognise the seriousness and threat of male violence for all women. 

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

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