Midway through the first set against Sorana Cîrstea, Muchová suddenly froze mid-serve, visibly shaken and wiping away tears.
At first, it wasn’t clear what happened, but later in her press conference she revealed the reason: she had spotted her ex-boyfriend sitting directly opposite her bench.
According to her, this isn’t the first time he’s shown up “where he shouldn’t be,” and she admitted the sight startled her so much she lost focus. She even asked him to leave. He didn’t at first, but eventually did.
What’s remarkable is that despite all that, Muchová managed to regain her composure and win the match in three sets. She’s since advanced further in the tournament, even taking down Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round, showing incredible resilience.
Afterward, she downplayed the incident, saying she didn’t file a report and that she “feels alright.” Still, the episode has sparked conversations about player safety and how tournaments handle situations like this.
It also reminded me of Wimbledon earlier this year when Emma Raducanu had a similar emotional moment after spotting someone in the stands she had a restraining order against.
Do you think tournaments are doing enough to protect players from unsettling situations like this?
Should security intervene faster when someone close to a player, especially an ex or unwanted presence—shows up courtside?
How much credit does Muchová deserve for managing to pull off the win despite such a distraction?
More broadly: is women’s tennis especially vulnerable to these types of personal intrusions, given the visibility of individual players?
