Sometimes, seeing someone from your past can be overwhelming and you need to take a minute to yourself.
However, it’s unusual to have it happen during a big match at the U.S. Open that’s being televised around the world.
Karolina Muchova appeared to break down in tears during her match against Sorana Cîrstea at the grand slam event last week after spotting an ex-boyfriend in the crowd.
The world’s No. 13 player was serving during the first set when she froze, gestured towards the crowd, and then wiped her face with a towel. She apologized for the delay to the umpire before resuming the match and playing through tears.
She explained the outpouring of emotions during the post-match press conference, saying that her ex “sometimes shows up at places where he shouldn’t be.”
“Well … it wasn’t tennis-related,” Muchova said in Czech after defeating Cirstea 7-6, 6-7, 6-4.
“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, according to a translation published by The Athletic.
Following her next match, a third-round victory over fellow Czech Linda Noskova, Muchova briefly spoke about the incident, saying that she is moving on.
“Yeah, I’m alright. I didn’t make any report, and everything is good,” she told reporters.
When asked if she is confident something similar wouldn’t happen again, Muchova replied, “I mean, who knows, right? I don’t know.”
According to tournament rules, players are allowed to block certain individuals from obtaining tickets or credentials, however Muchova has not made any such request.
While Muchova didn’t claim that she felt any sort of threat from the unnamed man, the USTA said it takes these types of situations seriously.
“Player safety is a critical element of our planning and execution for the US Open,” a rep told the New York Post, also noting security teams work with federal and local law enforcement to ensure a safe environment and “monitor both in-person and online threats.”
Any sort of hiccups haven’t slowed down Muchova on the court in Queens, N.Y. On Monday, she defeated Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the year’s final major tournament.
Next up is a matchup on Tuesday with Naomi Osaka of Japan.