Czech tennis ace Karolína Muchová was overcome with emotion last week after spotting an ex-boyfriend during her U.S. Open match, accusing her former love interest of showing up “at places where he shouldn’t be.”
The moment she caught sight of her ex came at a crucial time of her match on Thursday, when she was serving down 1-4 against Sorana Cîrstea. The world’s 13th-ranked player suddenly stopped, gestured toward the crowd, and covered her face with a towel to wipe away her tears.
Muchová then apologized to the chair umpire for the delay before continuing her serve.
In her post-match press conference, Muchová explained the reason for her tears.
“Well … it wasn’t tennis-related,” Muchová said in her native Czech language.
“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, but he didn’t. But later he did go. It was hard to focus in that moment,” she said, according to The Athletic.
Muchová ended up not only winning the struggle against her emotions but also defeating Cirstea in the process.
Despite a rule that allows tournament players to have spectators removed at their request, Muchová did not invoke this rule by asking the chair umpire to make him leave.