Tennis Player Radhika Yadav Shot Dead by Her Father in Gurugram

State-level tennis player Radhika Yadav was shot dead at her home in Gurugram on Thursday morning, allegedly by her father, Deepak Yadav. The 25-year-old athlete was killed while cooking in the kitchen of their three-storey house in Sushant Lok II around 10:30am. Police said she died instantly after being shot three times in the back.

The accused, a 51-year-old former bank manager, was arrested shortly after the incident, and his licensed revolver has been seized.

A preliminary investigation revealed that Radhika Yadav’s father was unhappy with her running a tennis academy. According to police officials, Deepak Yadav had repeatedly asked his daughter to shut it down but she refused. The situation worsened after people from their native village in Wazirabad reportedly mocked him for relying on his daughter’s income.

“He was mentally disturbed and felt humiliated by the villagers’ taunts,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Sadar) Yashwant Yadav. “Arguments over her tennis academy had happened before. On Thursday, it ended in a tragedy.”

The FIR states that Deepak Yadav claimed he had been battling depression for about 15 days. In his confession, he told police he couldn’t bear the humiliation and that his ‘pride’ was hurt. The police also suspect a video recently posted by Radhika on social media may have further upset her father.

Investigators are now reviewing her online activity and interviewing family members to determine if other factors played a role in the incident.

Radhika Yadav was a rising name in Indian tennis. She had represented her state in multiple tournaments and was the founder of her own tennis academy, which trained young athletes. Her sudden death has left the sports community and her supporters in shock.

Who was Radhika Yadav?

Radhika, a bright and promising athlete, was a graduate from Scottish High International School. 

She had cleared her Class 12 exams in commerce in 2018 and had taken to tennis early in her school years. 

Radhika ranked 113th as a doubles tennis player in the International Tennis Federation (ITF). She also ranked within the top 200 in the ITF doubles.

She had recently suffered a shoulder injury and was undergoing physiotherapy, but that hadn’t deterred her from running her academy or continuing to inspire young players.