7 incidents where female tennis players were worried by stalkers ft. Emma Raducanu, Serena Williams, Monica Seles

Tennis players are some of the most well-known celebrities all over the world. Given that they travel to a new country almost every other week, they have the opportunity to forge new connections globally. While they soak in the adulation, there's a dark side to fame as well.

While most people are respectful of a celebrity's boundaries, there are a few oddballs who make life difficult for them for no reason. Female athletes are mostly on the receiving end of such unwarranted attention, and the rise of social media has made things worse.

It's now easier to track someone, so if they find themselves as a target of someone's obsession, then their life is turned upside down. Here's a look at seven prominent female tennis players who have had to deal with stalkers in the past:

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#1. Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu at the Dubai Tennis Championships 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Raducanu is the latest player to feel suffocated by the unwanted presence of a man, although it wasn't her first brush with a stalker. A former Amazon delivery driver was found guilty of stalking the young Brit back in 2022. He had visited her home thrice and even took her father's shoe after mistaking it as hers as a keepsake.

Raducanu, who was competing at the Dubai Tennis Championships this week, experienced a panic attack and broke into tears during her second-round match against Karolina Muchova. This was caused due to the unwanted attention of a man, who was soon escorted out of the premises. She soldiered on after the frightful experience but lost to her opponent 7-6 (4), 6-4.

The WTA later issued a statement in support of Raducanu, promising to look after her well-being and banning the said individual from future WTA events. For someone who was already in the crosshairs of one stalker, it must have been quite overwhelming for her to experience the same all over again.

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#2. Serena Williams

Serena Williams at Wimbledon 2021. (Photo: Getty)

Williams is one of the most well-known figures on the planet with plenty of admirers. However, one of them crossed all limits by harassing her back in 2011. She was continuously being stalked by a 40-year-old man, and had obtained a restraining order against him after he tried to contact her on three occasions.

The man was later arrested for trying to enter Williams' home in Florida. The guards already had instructions to be on the lookout in case someone matching that man's description showed up. When he was apprehended by the authorities, he stated that he was going to her home because he "loves" her and the tennis pro felt the same way.

Williams was battling health issues and injuries from late 2010 until halfway through 2011. It was already a trying time for her, and the man's actions added unnecessary stress to her life. However, that's not the only time she had to deal with this. Almost a decade earlier, another man was arrested for stalking her at Wimbledon 2002.

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#3. Katie Boulter

Katie Boulter at the Italian Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Boulter has established herself as a solid player on the WTA Tour in recent years. She's also dating fellow tennis player Alex de Minaur. The couple got together back in 2020, got engaged last year, and are among the most well-known tennis players.

Boulter opened up about an unsavory experience with a stalker in an interview with The Guardian last year. She noticed someone following her in a car, though fortunately, de Minaur was also there with her at that time. While she was unharmed, the ordeal left her unsettled.

"People have followed me at times. I actually went to go and pick up Alex from Queens, and I had someone follow me in the car. We went to Sloane Square, got out, went for a walk around the shops and stuff and the same car was following me home. I was with Alex, so it was absolutely fine, but yeah, it wasn’t the best feeling," Boulter said.

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#4. Sloane Stephens

Sloane Stephens at the French Open 2023. (Photo: Getty)

Stephens became famous following her triumph at the US Open 2017. However, her crowning achievement also became a source of worry. During an appearance on the Tennis Insider Club podcast, she revealed how her mother was left shocked after the FBI showed up at her doorstep due to an obsessive fan.

Stephens was constantly bombarded by 100s of messages by a deranged person, and they had even sent letters to her grandparents. The officials wanted Stephens to testify against this person, and that's why they showed up at her place. She was participating in the French Open at that time, so she wasn't at home to explain everything to her mother.

"I would say five years ago I had an FBI case where someone went to jail because of the things that they were saying to me online and when they called my mom, it was in the middle of the French Open and they were like, 'We need to talk to you about what's happening with your daughter. We know she's playing in the French Open and we want her to testify in this court case.' My mom was like, 'what is going on here? what's happening?' Stephens said.

"And it was like, thousands of messages that this one person had sent, only to me, and after I had won the US Open, and it was literally non-stop, but it was to everyone in my family. To my grandparents, writing letters to their house. In my life, I would never want anyone to be affected by what I did," she added.

Stephens stated that this was one of the reasons why she wouldn't want her children to follow in her footsteps.

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#5. Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova at the Madrid Open 2017. (Photo: Getty)

Sharapova became a global sensation when she stunned two-time defending champion Serena Williams in the final of Wimbledon 2004 to win her maiden Major title. However, things were quite different upon her arrival at the All England Club a year later.

Sharapova was being stalked by a person, and someone had already lunged at her during a tournament in Los Angeles earlier in 2005. When she arrived at Wimbledon, she put up a brave front. She stated that she wasn't particularly scared, and had five bodyguards with her as well.

"No, I have five bodyguards walking around with me all the time. I feel secure. I'm always surrounded by people. You know, I feel safe," Sharapova said.

The tournament organizers had already beefed up security, and had banned the same person who was suspected of harassing Sharapova in Los Angeles. They also notified the police about the same.

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#6. Danielle Collins

Danielle Collins at the Canadian Open 2023. (Photo: Getty)

Collins has always been one of the most outspoken and candid personalities on the tour. She's an open book, and highlighted the unwanted attention that she had to deal with in the past, and how many of her peers had to worry about the same during a chat with Telegraph Sport.

"I’m serious. I don’t think it’s something that gets talked about a ton, but many of us have had security issues during our time playing on tour. I had a few different situations over the years. It’s never fun, the feeling of looking over your shoulder,” Collins said.

Collins had previously spoken up about this during an appearance on Andy Roddick's podcast as well.

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#7. Monica Seles

Monica Seles at the French Open 1990. (Photo: Getty)

Seles is unfortunately the biggest example of how a deranged person's obsession can ruin someone's life. Her career was off to a fast start, and she won eight Major titles starting from the 1990 season to January 1993. Her rapid ascent put Steffi Graf's status as the reigning queen of tennis under threat.

One man took this rather personally and took matters into his own hands. Seles had beaten Graf in the final of the Australian Open 1993, her third win over her in four Major finals. She was competing at a tournament in Hamburg in April that year, when a man ran from the stands during her quarterfinal match and stabbed her in the shoulder during a changeover.

Seles was out of action for over two years, and while she tasted considerable success upon her comeback in 1995, she didn't match the same highs as before. She remains the most notable tennis player to have suffered consequences due to a stalker's action.