Every woman has fear’ – why risks facing female athletes remain

British tennis player Emma Raducanu hiding behind the umpire’s chair after spotting a man who had “exhibited fixated behaviour” was a distressing scene.

It provided a stark reminder of the dangers faced by female athletes on a regular basis.

The man was detained by police following the incident at the Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday and given a restraining order.

“When you know it can get that far, that you feel a person is so obsessed with you, that they’ll find a way into your court, it’s very, very stressful,” former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli told BBC Radio 5 Live.

BBC Sport looks at why female athletes continue to hold fears, the security measures which are in place to protect them and what more can be done to ensure they feel safer.

The ‘extra risk’ faced by female athletes

Approximately one in five women experience stalking in their lifetime, according to the UK’s Office of National Statistics.

Being a well-known public personality increases exposure and a number of female tennis players have been subjected to predatory behaviour in recent years.

Raducanu, 22, has previously been the victim of a stalker, with another man given a five-year restraining order in 2022 after he walked 23 miles to her home.

Fellow British player Katie Boulter described to the Guardian last year how she had been followed by people in a car and on foot, while American players Danielle Collins and Sloane Stephens have also highlighted the harassment which they have faced.

A man was charged last month with stalking American basketball player Caitlin Clark, while sprinter Gabby Thomas and rugby player Ilona Maher have recently spoken out about their fears.

Bartoli recalled a similar harrowing experience during a match at the All England Club in 2007.

Bartoli described how a man followed her throughout the British grass-court season, turning up at the Birmingham and Eastbourne events before pretending to be a member of the Wimbledon groundstaff to get nearer to her.

“He found a way to purchase the same kit and get himself into my courts,” she added.

“I recognised him during my first-round match against Flavia Pennetta and I pointed it out straight away.

“I said he was not a groundsperson, he was not working there, he was someone who has been stalking me for three weeks.”

Stephanie Hilborne, the chief executive of the Women in Sport charity, told BBC Sport that “every single woman has a level of fear”.

“That’s not restricted to the more visible women – but the more visible you are, the greater that risk is and feels,” she said.

“In sport, we have the situation where your body is very much on show so it makes for extra risk.”

What happened to Raducanu in Dubai?

Raducanu was approached by the man close to the Dubai tournament site on Monday – the day between her first-round and second-round matches.

The 2021 US Open champion was given a letter by the man, which sources in Dubai told BBC Sport included his name and telephone number, that she opened later in her hotel.

After Raducanu told the WTA about the incident, tournament security teams were notified on Tuesday afternoon.

However, the man was still able to enter the small stadium where Raducanu played Karolina Muchova later that evening.

Raducanu spotted him in the front rows of the stand behind the baseline and, having become visibly upset as she told the umpire what the issue was, the man was taken out by security.