Karolina Muchová stops US Open match and breaks down in tears after spotting ex-boyfriend in the crowd

Czech tennis athlete Karolina Muchová suddenly became emotional at her US Open match last week after she saw her ex-boyfriend in the crowd. 

In her match against Sorana Cîrstea, she was losing with a scoreline of 1-4 when she stopped playing, pointed at the crowd, and wiped her tears with a towel. After her breakdown, she apologised to the umpire for the pause and continued with the match. 

Despite what happened, the 28-year-old semifinalist found her rhythm and won the match. 

In her post-match press conference, the athlete explained what happened. “Opposite my bench, my ex-boyfriend sat down. 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 said. 

Two days after the incident, Muchová won her match against fellow Czech Linda Nosková and declared that she is trying to move on. She also stated that she did not make any report and that “everything is good”.

On social media, netizens expressed their support for Karolina’s performance so far this season. One fan commented, “Every time I watch you play is like watching a piece of art. Amazing talent.” 

Another remarked that she is playing better and better every single day.

 

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A post shared by Karolína Muchová (@karolinamuchova)

On reporting individuals in a tournament 

In tournaments, players are allowed to stop certain individuals from getting tickets or access passes, especially if it will disrupt their games. 

This event is an addition to the times when women tennis players are bothered by people they don’t want watching them in the crowd. 

British athlete Emma Raducanu had the same experience during her match against Karolina Muchová at the Dubai Open, where a man stalking the athlete was removed from the venue for his behaviour. Raducanu admitted that she was visibly shaken when she saw the man in the audience, and she couldn’t breathe or see through tears. 

“I was not on the court, to be honest, and I’m not really sure how I regrouped…I think that was a pretty good effort for me to carry on playing in that match, in that scenario. I finished the match, and I even had chances in the first set, but, yeah, it was a very emotional time,” Raducanu stated at that time.”

Due to this, the man was given a restraining order and was also banned from attending future tournaments. 

Read more about Emma Raducanu’s incident here.