Czech tennis star Karolína Muchová was pushed to brink, emotionally, during her second-round US Open match against Sorana Cîrstea on Thursday (local time). The sporting showdown was briefly stopped mid-action as the tennis ace broke down in tears over an issue that she later revealed was not related to her sport.

The eye-widening moment shocked tennis fans across the world last week as the world’s No 13 player stopped in her tracks. A visibly overwhelmed Karolina was serving down when something in the crowd caught her eye. Gesturing towards the audience, she quickly took hold of a towel and wiped her face. As she tried to take charge of the situation amid her emotional breakdown, she apologised for the delay, eventually resuming the game despite tears still clouding her eyes.

Tennis star Karolina Muchova reveals why she stopped mid-match, broke down in tears

In the aftermath of the US Open moment that fired up one too many speculations, Muchova broke her silence during a post-match press conference. “Well… it isn’t tennis-related,” she opened up, according to The Athletic’s English translation. She then divulged that her ex-boyfriend had sat down opposite her bench during the match. Hinting at his invasive behavioural traits, the tennis ace said, “He sometimes shows up at place where he shouldn’t be. That startled me a bit.”

Karolina even disclosed that she had confronted the man about the situation, asking him to leave. However, he didn’t pay heed to her words at first. “…but later he did go,” she said, adding “It was hard to focus in that moment.”

When asked if Muchova felt safe on court, she replied, “Yeah, yeah, I feel okay.” However, doubts about her ex-boyfriend not showing up at a similar event again persisted in her mind. “I mean, who knows, right? I don’t know, so…”

Officials on player safety: US Open

While sports can request officials to blacklist certain people, Muchova had long maintained a streak of not mentioning her ex-boyfriend to the WTA or the United States Tennis Association (USTA). In her post-match comments, the sports icon particularly foregrounded that she didn’t like talking about the situation related to her former partner, who she claimed had a history of turning up “at places where he shouldn’t be.” Despite the emotional turmoil, the 28-year-old went on to defeat her opponent.

A former Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) official speaking out anonymously addressed the case of obsessive fans particularly targeting women’s tennis. “I think it’s to do with the individuality of the sport, and then a combination of precociousness, attractiveness and visibility,” they said, as per The Atlantic. “You put all those things together and women’s tennis is a perfect storm for fixated individuals.”