New, chilling details have emerged in the murder investigation of tennis player Radhika Yadav, revealing her father, Deepak Yadav, contemplated suicide before deciding to kill her.

Deepak, who was initially a strong supporter of Radhika’s career and even funded her tennis academy with Rs 2 crore, later changed his attitude after facing taunts from villagers in Wazirabad. They reportedly called him a “gira hua baap” (a shameless father) because of his daughter’s independent pursuits. This humiliation angered Deepak, leading him to demand that Radhika close the academy, according to a report in NDTV.

Radhika refused, pointing out that he had already invested a lot. Police say Deepak was consumed by shame and anger for three days, torn between thoughts of taking his own life and that of Radhika. On Thursday, he decided to take Radhika’s life. He entered the kitchen where Radhika was cooking and fired five shots, four of which struck her, killing her instantly.

Meanwhile, the police are investigating whether the victim’s mother had any knowledge of the plot to kill him.

HT quoted Gurugram police public relations officer (PRO) Sandeep Kumar as saying, “He has not yet given any clear reason, nor confirmed whether his wife knew about the plan – but it seems she must have had some knowledge.”

25-year-old state-level tennis player Radhika Yadav was shot dead by her father on Thursday morning in Gurugram, Haryana. The incident took place at Radhika’s house in Sector 57.

Radhika Yadav was born on 23 March 2000 and earned a lot of fame for her skills on the tennis court. She was ranked 113th as a doubles player in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and was also in the top 200 in ITF doubles. She was ranked fifth in the women’s doubles category in Haryana.

Radhika’s former coach, Manoj Bhardwaj, expressed deep sorrow over her demise, calling her loss a huge blow. “She was focused, disciplined, and immensely talented. This is a tremendous loss,” he said.