Czech tennis star Karolína Muchová broke down in tears at the US Open last week after spotting an ex-boyfriend in the stands, saying he “shows up at places where he shouldn’t be” during her match.
The world No. 13 was serving down 1-4 against Sorana Cîrstea on Thursday when she suddenly froze, gestured toward the crowd, and grabbed a towel to wipe her face. She apologized to the chair umpire for the delay before resuming play through tears.
“Well … it wasn’t tennis-related,” Muchová later explained in Czech during her post-match press conference.
“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 at first, but later he did. It was hard to focus in that moment,” she said, according to a translation first published by The Athletic.
Despite the disruption and being visibly shaken, the 28-year-old semifinalist regrouped and went on to win the match.
While tournament rules allow players to block certain individuals from obtaining tickets or credentials, Muchová has not made such a request.
Two days later, after defeating fellow Czech Linda Nosková, Muchová said she was trying to move on.
“Yeah, I’m alright. I didn’t make any report, and everything is good,” she told reporters on Saturday.
When asked if she felt confident that such incidents wouldn’t happen again, Muchová replied, “I mean, who knows, right? I don’t know.”
The unsettling scene adds to a growing pattern of women’s tennis players being disrupted by unwanted spectators.
At Wimbledon in July, Britain’s Emma Raducanu broke down in tears after recognizing a man who had previously harassed her in Dubai and had been issued a restraining order.
He was later banned from the All England Club’s ticket ballot. Notably, Raducanu faced Muchová in that match.
Raducanu later admitted she “couldn’t see the ball through tears” and “could barely breathe” after spotting the man mid-match.
The USTA emphasized that it takes such situations seriously.
“Player safety is a critical element of our planning and execution for the US Open,” a spokesperson said, noting that security teams coordinate with federal and local law enforcement to maintain a safe environment and monitor both in-person and online threats.
Experts say the sport remains particularly vulnerable.
“You put individuality, precociousness, attractiveness, and visibility together, and women’s tennis is a perfect storm for fixated individuals,” a former WTA executive told The Athletic.
The most notorious incident occurred in 1993, when 19-year-old Monica Seles was stabbed in the back by a deranged fan during a match in Hamburg. She never fully regained the dominance she once had.
Other players have also faced persistent harassment.
Martina Hingis, a teenage prodigy, has spoken out about men who followed her from hotel to hotel during the height of her career.
In 2011, a man who called himself Serena Williams’ “husband” also was arrested after attempting to gain access to her Florida home, sparking tighter personal security measures for the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Muchová, a two-time US Open semifinalist, is trying to put her own unsettling episode behind her as she heads into a fourth-round clash with No. 27 seed Marta Kostyuk on Monday.
