(LONDON) A 35-year-old man who harassed tennis player Emma Raducanu to her home in London has been banned from approaching the surprise U.S. Open champion for five years, it said on Wednesday a British court.

Amrit Magar, a former delivery man, had visited the 19-year-old’s home three times between November and December 2021. He had decorated a tree there and left her a bouquet of flowers with a card stressing that she “deserved love”.

Living in north-east London, he had also sent the British champion a drawing to show her the “23 miles” (37 km) he had walked to get to her home in south-east London. the city.

According to Bromley Court, Emma Raducanu felt like her “freedom had been snatched from her and she had to constantly look over her shoulder” to make sure she was not being followed.

Convicted last month of harassment, Mr. Magar received a ban on Wednesday from approaching the champion for five years.

He thus has no right to contact Emma Raducanu or her parents, nor to approach within a mile of her street or to go to a sports field where she is competing or training.

According to prosecutor Denise Clewes, the tennis player, 12^and world in the WTA ranking, “is very apprehensive when she goes out” and “her parents are reluctant to leave her alone outside”.

Mr. Magar had been arrested after the athlete’s father, alerted by his presence through a surveillance camera, had noticed that he was missing a sports shoe he had left outside.

Magar told authorities he was “attracted” to Raducanu “because of his fame after winning the U.S. Open,” and took the shoe “as a souvenir,” thinking it belonged to the young woman .

Raducanu is having a difficult start to the season on the courts. Eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open in mid-January, she could not finish her resumption match Tuesday at the tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, due to a left hip injury.