"Whoa. We’ve come a long way.”
Emma Raducanu wasn’t about to let a crying baby ruin her serve at the 2025 Cincinnati Open.
The 22-year-old professional tennis player, who ranks 39th in the world, per the WTA, faced off against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of the Cincinnati Open on Monday, Aug. 11.
During a contentious third set, Raducanu was readying her serve when a young fan started crying from the stands.
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The moment, which was captured in a video shared by ESPN on TikTok, caused Raducanu to stop her serve — at which point she turned to the chair umpire.
@espn Emma Raducanu asked the umpire to remove a crying child from the crowd during her tennis match with Aryna Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Open. (via Tennis Channel) #tennis #sports #child ♬ original sound - ESPN
Raducanu, who was down 4-3 in the third set at the time, was visibly upset at the baby crying in the background.
“It’s been like 10 minutes,” she said to the chair ump.
“It’s a child. Do you want me to send the child out of the stadium?” the chair ump replied.
Raducanu was hesitant to respond, but eventually smiled and nodded her head (as if to say yes) after numerous fans in attendance agreed.
“I can call in, but we need to continue for the moment,” the chair ump added.
Raducanu went on to win the point to force a deuce in the eighth game of the set — which she later won – but failed to finish the job as Sabalenka won the set 7-6, per the WTA’s game recap on YouTube.
During an interview after the match, Sabalenka praised Raducanu for her “incredible” play, according to Today.com.
Tennis fans divided over Emma Raducanu’s crying baby dilemma
In the days since the dilemma went viral, tennis fans have shared their honest opinions on the baby crying — with many taking aim at Raducanu, while others questioned the mother of the crying baby.
“Bruh, you’re a professional, block it out and play,” one fan wrote under ESPN’s video.
“Real athletes are those that perform under pressure,” another fan said — criticizing Raducanu.
“Who brings babies to events like this? It was hot, humid, and absolutely unbearable for a child,” a third fan wrote of the mother of the baby crying.
Others were quick to joke about how the “umpire was not ready for the crowd to agree,” while some came out in defense of Raducanu.
“Why are people confused? Golf and tennis are individual sports. Singular strokes can impact the entire match. If you bring a child and they’re crying, take them out of the arena,” a TikTok user commented.
While there’s no rule that prevents babies from being at a pro tennis match, fans are generally expected to respect the players by remaining quiet during play.
Fans are also expected to save their applause and cheers for when a point ends.
In 2023, Brittany Mahomes — the wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — learned the hard way that babies don’t make the best tennis crowd.
“Brought a toddler to a Professional Tennis Match today, not the brightest idea,” she wrote in a March 2023 Instagram post.
The couple had taken their then-2-year-old daughter Sterling Skye to a match between Marcos Giron and Aleksandar Kovacevic during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
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“We all live and learn when it comes to kiddos. Where to take and where not to take!” one fan wrote under Mahomes’ post.
