Emma Raducanu insisted 'I feel safe' despite being made aware that a man who stalked her attempted to buy tickets for Wimbledon. In February, Dubai police imposed a restraining order on an individual, who has never been publicly named, after he left the tennis star in tears.

He followed Raducanu to four consecutive events, sent her a letter, and then asked her for a photograph in a Dubai coffee shop. Raducanu watched from behind the umpire's chair in tears as he was removed from the stands and detained by police. His name was circulated around the tennis authorities and a re-sweep of the Wimbledon ballot system red-flagged that he had attempted to purchase tickets for this year's Championships. The application was removed and Raducanu has now praised tournament chiefs.

Speaking to the BBC, the 2021 US Open champion said: "When I heard that, my thoughts were that everyone at Wimbledon had done an amazing job. I got a notification and the police contacted me, they assured me everything was okay.

"I know that I'm not the first athlete to go through this and I probably won't be the last. Not just athlete, female in general. It's just something that maybe we all have to deal with at some point. I feel okay, I feel comfortable, I feel safe. I've had great protection whenever I've been at these events.

"At the tournaments, I have a lot more protection around me, especially the ones here in the UK, where there are most spectators around. I feel a difference and that reassures me, it makes me feel more comfortable."

After the man was removed from Raducanu's match in February, she revealed: "I saw him in the first game of the match and I was like: 'I don't know how I'm going to finish'. I literally couldn't see the ball through tears. I could barely breathe. I was like: 'I need to just take a breather.' I'm always with someone and always being watched."

Raducanu is aware of Katie Boulter's comments on receiving abuse, in which the British No. 2 shared that she receives death threats and vile messages online. Asked if there had been a recent improvement in the nature of content she receives, Raducanu said there had not.

"There hasn't but I'm glad Katie spoke out about it," the 22-year-old said. "I'm glad she took a stand because it's something that we all go through. All of [the messages] are pretty extreme. It's very tough to know what to do about it."