Radhika Yadav, a 25-year-old Indian tennis player, was fatally shot by her father in their home in Gurugram's Sector 57 district. The shocking incident occurred around 10:30 AM in the kitchen, where her father Dipak Yadav fired five shots from his registered .32 caliber revolver, with three bullets striking her in the back.
Dipak Yadav, 51, was immediately arrested after family members provided statements to law enforcement. The motive behind this tragic event has been confirmed by police as a long-standing dispute over the tennis academy Radhika managed.
"He (Dipak) had been upset for some time as local residents mocked him about his daughter's income. They said the household lived on her money, and he was too dependent on her. He asked her several times to stop working at the academy, but she refused. He couldn't take it anymore," – explained Inspector Vinod Kumar, the officer in charge of Sector 56 police station, in an interview with The Indian Express.
Initially, speculation surfaced on social media linking the murder to a music video titled "Karwaan" featuring Radhika alongside singer Inam Ul Haq in romantic scenes, or possibly her Instagram activity. However, police have firmly dismissed these jealousy-based theories.
According to her uncle Kuldip Yadav, Radhika's mother was on the first floor of the house when the shooting took place, and the young woman died instantly at the scene.
In her tennis career, Radhika competed in 36 singles and 7 doubles matches under ITF governance. Her last singles match was played in March 2024, while her final doubles appearance dated back to June 2023. Interestingly, it had been over a year since she participated in an international tournament.
The talented player had shifted her focus to coaching, running her own tennis academy in Gurugram. This career transition apparently became the focal point of tension between father and daughter, ultimately leading to this devastating outcome. What might have been a promising future in tennis coaching has now been tragically cut short by domestic violence.
