Tennis Star Sheds Tears, Halts Match At U.S. Open After Ex Shows Up In Crowd
The Czech tennis star ultimately won her match after the disturbance.
Czech tennis star Karolina Muchova, the No. 13 player in the world, had a moment on the court after spotting her ex-boyfriend in the crowd during the U.S. Open.
The strange sequence took place during her second-round matchup against Sorana Cirstea. While serving down 1-4, Muchova made a gesture toward the crowd and went over to grab a towel to wipe her face before apologizing to the chair umpire for the delay and eventually resuming play in tears.
During her post-match press conference following her three-set win over Cirstea, Muchova admitted the stop in play "wasn't tennis related."
As first translated and reported by The Athletic, Muchova revealed that it was her ex-boyfriend who took her off guard.
He sometimes shows up at places where he shouldn’t be. That startled me a bit. I told him to leave, he didn’t, but later he did go. It was hard to focus in that moment," she explained.
Karolina Muchova celebrating at the U.S. Open. (Mike Frey-Imagn Images)
After her third-round victory days later, Muchova was asked if she was confident her ex wouldn't show up again, to which she replied, "I mean, who know, right? I don't know."
What makes the situation even more unique is that U.S. Open rules allow players to block certain individuals from obtaining tickets or credentials, but Muchova has not made a request to tournament officials.
Interestingly enough, Muchova was a witness to a similar incident at Wimbledon in July while taking on Britain's Emma Raducanu at the All England Club. Raducanu broke down in tears during their match when she spotted a man who harassed her earlier in the year in Dubai and had been issued a restraining order to stay away from her.
The man was banned from Wimbledon's ticket ballot.
Muchova will take on Marta Kostyuk on Monday with a spot in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on the line.