A London man who repeatedly stalked British tennis star Emma Raducanu was given a five-year restraining order on Wednesday. The stalker, Amrit Magar, also received 18 months of community service and must follow an electronically-monitored curfew for eight weeks.
Magar showed up at Raducanu's London home three times between Nov. 1 and Dec. 4, and the 35-year-old said he walked 23 miles from his home to get there. He found Raducanu's home by traveling to the suburb where she and parents reside and asking for directions.
Loitering and unwelcome gift giving were common during Magar's visits. Magar once left a bouquet of flowers with a note reading, "nothing to say but you deserve love," and also dropped off a self-drawn map from his home to Raducanu's. During one visit, Magar decorated a tree in Raducanu's front garden with Christmas lights.
Magar took one of Raducanu's father's shoes – thinking they were Emma's – before the Raducanus' doorbell camera caught him, leading to his arrest.
The visits clearly disturbed Raducanu, as the 19-year-old told police "I want to move to a new house with better security because I am worried he might come back as he knows where my home is."
Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, said those safety concerns haven't left her in a statement to the court last month.
"Since all this has happened I have felt creeped out," Raducanu, the world's 12th-ranked women's tennis player, said. "I feel very apprehensive if I go out, especially if I am on my own.
"Because of this I feel like my freedom has been taken away from me. I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I feel on edge and worried this could happen again. I don't feel safe in my own home, which is where I should feel safest."
Earlier Wednesday, Raducanu lost via retirement to Australia's Daria Saville in the longest match of the WTA season. Her first-round defeat in the Guadalajara Open took three hours and 36 minutes.
