Emma Raducanu's recent stalking incident prompted Marion Bartoli to share one of her most traumatic experiences on the Tour and reveal how one stalker went to great lengths to get to her.
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Last week in Dubai, the 2021 US Open champion stopped play early in her second-round match and claimed through tears that there she noticed her stalker in the stands.
After police intervened and more details came to light, it was revealed that that same person also followed the Briton in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Doha.
Addressing that, Bartoli shared that she went through a similar situation during the 2007 grass season.
That year, the former world No. 7 noticed that one person - who didn't have credentials - followed her in Birmingham and Eastbourne before also showing up at Wimbledon.
And not only that, the stalker tried to disguise himself as a ball kid or a groundsperson so he could presumably try to get closer to the Frenchwoman.
Bartoli: I recognized him and instantly told the Wimbledon officials that he was stalking me
He found a way to purchase the same kit and get himself into my court as a groundsperson. And I sort of recognized him. It was from my first-round match against Flavia Pennetta," the 2013 Wimbledon champion recalled.
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I pointed out straight away to the All England Club and the organization of the tournament to say that he was not a groundsperson, he was not working there.
He was someone who had been stalking me for three weeks. And they found a way to get his identity and get rid of him and put his picture on all the entrances of the All England Club.
When youre in that environment, it can feel very, very stressful. And I was very young back then. I was 22 years old as well, and I remember just getting on the court and saying to my dad, that person does not have the right to be on my courts."
In the same interview, Bartoli said she was "proud" of Raducanu for how she reacted and even played out the entire match against Karolina Muchova despite the circumstances.
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Meanwhile, the Frenchwoman reached the Wimbledon final in 2007 before losing to Venus Williams.
While Bartoli didn't win Wimbledon that year, she managed to do so six years after beating Sabine Lisicki in the final.
