The public stalking incident involving professional tennis player Emma Raducanu at the Dubai Tennis Championships has once again highlighted the dangers female athletes face. It also focused the spotlight on the growing number of stalkers in Women’s Sports.
The attack drew unsettling comparisons to the 1993 stabbing of Monica Seles by Günter Parche, a German man obsessed with her rival, Steffi Graf. It also serves as a stark reminder that stalkers—both online and in-person—continue to pose significant threats to women in sports.
Since tennis is an individual sport, it has seen its fair share of stalking cases. Women across all sports, regardless of rank or fame, have been targeted for years.
The increased visibility of athletes through social media and 24/7 coverage has only made them more accessible to potential stalkers.
Cyber-Stalking in Women’s Sports
While Raducanu’s case involved a physical encounter, cyber-stalking is becoming increasingly common. The rise of social media has given stalkers unprecedented access to athletes, enabling them to monitor and harass their targets online.
