Tennis player Radhika Yadav was shot three times in the back by father while she was cooking

Radhika Yadav, a 25-year-old tennis player at the state level, was reportedly killed by her father at their home in Gurgaon on Thursday. The police report states that the victim, who operated her own tennis academy, was shot three times in the back while cooking in the kitchen of their three-storey residence in Block-G of Sushant Lok II around 10:30 AM. She passed away immediately due to damage to her essential organs. The suspect, Deepak Yadav, has been taken into custody and his registered firearm confiscated.

An initial investigation into the situation found that Radhika Yadav’s 51-year-old father was upset about the tennis player operating her own academy. The police reported that Deepak Yadav was infuriated by the mocks from locals and friends in their hometown Wazirabad. A source familiar with the case informed Hindustan Times that numerous individuals reportedly ridiculed him for relying on his daughter’s earnings from her tennis academy.

“He asked her repeatedly to shut the tennis academy,” said assistant commissioner of police (Sadar) Yashwant Yadav. “But she refused. Arguments had taken place earlier as well. He finally shot her dead over the same dispute.”

Police reported that the father stated he had been struggling with depression for the last 15 days because of societal judgment regarding his daughter’s profession and income. In his admission, he allegedly stated he could no longer endure the embarrassment that had impacted his ‘pride’, as noted in the FIR. One investigator highlighted that the recent conflict between the father and daughter might have been triggered by a video Radhika shared on social media, which Deepak Yadav objected to. The police is investigating additional motives as well.

Radhika, a talented and hopeful athlete, graduated from Scottish High International School.

She passed her Class 12 commerce exams in 2018 and started playing tennis during her school years.

Radhika achieved a ranking of 113th as a doubles player in the International Tennis Federation (ITF). She also placed among the top 200 in ITF doubles.

She had recently experienced a shoulder injury and was receiving physiotherapy, but that didn’t stop her from managing her academy or motivating young athletes.